Crazy is Just the Beginning
by ForciblySilent
Summary: The assassin for the homunculi isn't just any ordinary woman. She's absolutely insane. This is the story of the girl named Joice and her travels to become Bloodlust. M for language and blood
1. Experiment

**Hmmm My brain's been fudged up lately. **

**So anyways... this will get very confusing very quickly. Basically it's first person and you're in the mind of a madwoman...  
**

**Enjoy.  
**

"Sissy, I'm bored." The voice whined loudly in my ear, and I looked up from my book at my nine year old sister. "Is there nothing you can do?" I asked, and she shook her head, her blonde hair whipping from side to side. I sighed. "Let me braid your hair, so that we can go to the park." Her grin broadened and she sat obediently before me. I started braiding her hair in an intricate pattern that I loved.

My sister's hair is long and straight and beautiful, while mine is rather short and extremely curly, making braids impossible. Her hair is naturally black like mine, but she dyes it blonde because she thinks that that is prettier. It annoys me, but I don't refuse to braid it. I hate fakes, and liars, but I deal with it.

Soon I am done braiding, and we set off to the park. My sister giggles and runs ahead of me. I'm not so interested, as I look around. I keep my mind busy on the history class I'd taken the day before. Here's a game I like to play—I like to test myself and see how long I can concentrate on one thing. It's difficult, but I've noticed the time growing longer—something I'm proud of.

_I wonder if we should go off for lunch, me and my sister, or if we should just head home. I suppose it would be fun—wait, I was on history. Right._ There I went, getting distracted again. I hated it when I did that. It was an irritance, albeit a small one. "Sissy, sissy… JOICE!" My sister yelled, finally calling me by my name. I snapped to attention and turned to her. Of course, I'd not forgotten that I had brought her. "Come push me on the swings." My sister urged. I sighed, and walked over with her.

The metal chains to the swings were tarnished and dirtied by years of being outdoors, and I itched to polish them into perfection. She sat herself on the stupid plastic seat—which too was filthy—and I started pushing her, until she was swinging on her own, going as high as she could.

I sat down, and sighed again. _It's so annoying, how smudged things get. _I looked around disdainfully at the playground equipment and couldn't help but sneer. I wished I'd brought a book to read, but instead I just sat and watched my sister play.

Of course, other families had come, parents and children. My sister ended up joining a group of girls her age and playing hopscotch and taking turns on the swings and having all sorts of fun. _It's weird how she can do that. It's weird how she can make friends so easily. I never did that. I don't like people, they're irritating and foolish. How silly of her. _

When my stomach started to growl, I decided that it would be time to head home. There was no need to go to a restaurant when we had food at home. "C'mon, Brianna, we're going home." I called, and she let out a moan. "But I'm having fun!~" She protested, causing me to roll my eyes. "It's time to go, now let us go!"

She walked over. "I told you, Joice, it's let's, not let us." I roll my eyes and wack her across the top of her head. "Whatever." _Her braid's getting loose. I'll have to fix it later. Perhaps when we get home, or maybe after lunch. It'd be best to take care of it sooner so that it doesn't come completely undone, but Brianna is so lazy, after all… she might refuse. _I shook my head out of my distracting thoughts and we walked home.

I decided when we got home to wait till after lunch, even though my instincts screamed at me to fix it, and fix it now! I fixed us some grilled cheeses because it's fun to get grill marks on the bread using the spatula—if you do it just right, it comes all crispy brown with pale grill marks and gooey yellow cheese, and it's divine—and we ate lunch together. The cheese was stringy, and I watched my sister eat it hungrily as I nibbled at my own. _It's boring here. I wonder if there's anything to do for fun… _Suddenly the door swung open and Brianna jumped up, an ecstatic look on her face. "Daddy, Daddy!" She ran to the door, and I heard a grunt as my father must have been hit by one of her bear hugs. "Hello, precious."

I walked over, still nibbling on my sandwich, and my dad raised an eyebrow. "You almost ready?" _Finally, it took him long enough to get home. _I finished my sandwich in two large bites and grinned, "You bet." I headed upstairs and pulled on my hiking boots. I hurriedly fixed my sister's braid, and we left.

The one thing in this town that I'd ever enjoyed is hunting with my dad. We'd go to this forest and hunt wild animals—deer, birds, rabbits, you name it. It was the only fun thing, and I was the only girl who did it. Sometimes we'd run into guys from my school, but I'd always been good at running them off. No one ever fucks with me.

That day we made a good haul, but I still couldn't shake off the lingering boredom I felt. _Perhaps I should perform an experiment, or try to go off somewhere. Maybe with friends? _I barked a short, dry laugh. I didn't make friends. People were annoying, and I preferred solitude by far.

I decided to do an experiment. It was one I'd been meaning to try for a while. I snuck into the laundry room, where Mother washed me and Brianna's clothes… I took the Clorox and snuck off.

I decided to see… this stuff whitened clothes really well. So what could it do to my sister's hair? I slipped it into her hair dye. That night I was going to be helping her touch it up, anyways—long black streaks had started to grow, and I'd had to hide them in her braids, else she'd look like the bride of Frankenstein. _Maybe it'll dye her hair permanently, and I won't have to help her be a fake, lying little brat. That would be most enjoyable. I wonder what I should do tomorrow, after school. I don't have anything planned. Maybe I could go hunting on my own. _I shook my head as I started getting distracted, and poured the Clorox into the hair dye bottle, which I'd half-emptied. _I always hated the smell of Clorox. Someone should make one that doesn't smell so absurdly strong. _I shrugged and returned the Clorox to where it belonged. _I hope it does well. My sister does so enjoy being blonde. It's odd. Why does someone as straight-forward as me have such a liar for a sister? _

Supper came and went, and then it was time to dye my sister's hair. She sat in the bathroom with a towel over her shoulders, and I started massaging the dye into her scalp. It smelled nasty, more so than usual, but I ignored the scent and ignored my sister's persistent questions. I felt eager to see the effects the Clorox would have. It always was interesting to see how she reacted to different stimuli.

Nothing seemed to happen that night, and soon we'd both gone to bed. _Maybe tomorrow she'll show something. I wonder if I remembered to—ha, that's ridiculous. I know I did my homework. I remember clearly. _I shrugged, my thoughts confusing me till I fell asleep.


	2. And then there were two

**Here's where you really see how insane my darling Joice is... :P **

**Yes, yes, you will have nightmares. *bows and creeps into the shadows* Trust me, I can make this SO much worse.  
**

The next morning, I laid in bed for quite a while. I didn't really feel like getting up. There wasn't anything interesting to do, and I was pleased with just sitting there and thinking, going over the basic laws to alchemy. _Equivalent Exchange—one cannot gain something from nothing. To obtain something, something of equal value must be given. _I sighed. How the hell did that translate into drawing a circle and creating something? It befuddled me. It was an annoyance, and I was stupid. How could I not understand it? Normally I understood everything. I cursed under my breath. _I wonder what's for breakfast. _My thoughts began to stray, and I had to force myself to focus. And then another, stronger thought entered my head. _I wonder how the experiment is going. _This is enough to get me going, and I jump up, heading out of my room.

My little sister, Brianna, was already awake when I walked into the kitchen. There was a plate of pancakes in front of her, but she wasn't eating them. "So what is going on, Brianna?" I asked, sitting in a chair and propping my feet on the table carelessly. As my mom walked by, she pushed my feet down, and I sighed, sitting 'normally'. "M' head fulls funneh…" Brianna slurred, and I stifled a laugh. "Is that so?" She nodded and pushed her plate away, resting her head against the table. Of course, that must have been the Clorox. I didn't realize then what a big deal it was, and we headed off to school.

Her teachers reported to my parents that she was acting stoned in class. Like she'd been smoking something or whatever. Ridiculous what I could do with one simple move, hm? It was fun to watch. She really did act foolish—she would walk awkwardly and stare around with dull eyes, and her voice was a slur. I believe she was only half aware of her surroundings. And then the day came that I guess she couldn't survive anymore. She'd already taken a long while. But then she just toppled over. Her brain was saturated with Clorox. I'd killed her. And no one knew.

I attended her funeral, along with my parents. It was easy to play the part of a mourning sister. It really was a mistake, but I don't know. I just didn't feel bad about it. I watched the men burying Brianna's coffin, and again started going over the basics of alchemy in my head, until I got distracted by a butterfly flying by. _Perhaps I can convince my dad to take me hunting soon. I'm getting bored again. _We headed home.

My sister was dead. I didn't miss her. No longer did I have to lie by dying her hair, or take her to the park with its rusted swing sets and filthy playground equipment. I could do what I wanted. Brianna didn't matter anymore.

- 6 months later -

I was going to a school dance. It wasn't my idea. I hate socializing. People are stupid. What's the point of doing something stupid like that? But I didn't get a choice. My mom said she wanted me to go out. She said that since Brianna died, I hadn't done anything that didn't involve the indoors—except, of course, for hunting. I felt a flash of irritance. _I shouldn't have to do this. I mean, dances are foolish. I wonder if there'll be good food. I don't want to go. _I pulled out some pants and a t-shirt, and my mom walked in. "Oh, no, you shouldn't wear that to a formal, Joice." She smiled to me, and I resisted the bubbling urge to kill her. "Why not?" I asked, smiling pleasantly. _She's so stupid. _She gives me a gentle smile, and I can see the sadness that's always present in her eyes anymore. _Stupid, she misses Brianna. She misses the little bitch she got to dress up every day and who would never complain to going to a stupid dance. _"It's a formal." My mom explained. "You wear a dress." _No way in hell I'm going to wear a dress. _I told her this, and she let out an exasperated sigh. "You're wearing a dress, and that's final." She told me. She left a dress in my room, and walked out.

No way in hell was I wearing a dress. Dresses are stupid, hideous contraptions invented just to please men. No way in hell was I wearing one. Never. I growled and pulled out my pocketknife, planning to slice up the dress. Then I paused, as a new thought introduced itself into my head. The thought was strong, somehow strong enough that I wasn't immediately distracted, and I let out an eerie laugh. It was an excellent thought. I felt eager. I could do that.

I walked out of my room. A light flicked on in the office—my dad—I forced myself to concentrate. I walked to the kitchen.

My mom was there alone. No one else. Just us. She looked up at me and sighed. "Why aren't you getting dressed?" She asked. I grinned at her, that's all I did. Just grinned. Then a laugh bubbled up in my throat. I shrieked out with laughter, grinning crazily. "I'm not going to the dance." I sing-songed. My mom sighed. "Joice, I told you you're going, now go put on the dress."

I grinned. She was making this all too easy. I walked forward, getting into her face. "Make me." And then my pocketknife found its place in her abdomen. I shoved it in deeper, and my mom's eyes widened. "J-Joice…" I just grinned and twisted the knife, and she screamed. Blood started to drip down my arm. It felt lovely. I kept the knife in there for a while, then yanked it out. My mom collapsed. I turned to stare straight at my dad, blood dripping off my hand and hitting the kitchen floor.

His face was pale. "What the hell did you do to my wife!" He yelled, looking shocked. Not 'your mother'? I giggled. "Nothing, daddy." I brought my hand to my mouth, curious. I tasted the blood. It tasted nice, kind of metallic and rich. I laughed. He looked sickened. "You bitch! What the fuck! Who do you think you are! You don't just go killing people!"

I laughed. "And you're going to stop me?" It was the first time he'd ever cussed at me. I stepped forward. He stepped back, his face instantly paling. I laughed, and knew that I was in control. "Don't report it. Say she committed suicide." I demanded, and I left the room. I was going to go hunting after all.

Just like I was eventually going to hunt my dad.


	3. Byebye Daddy

**If I'm perfectly honest, I'm not really happy with this chapter. I might rewrite it someday. **

**Anyways, it's gonna get interesting from here on out. THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING MY FLUFFY FRIENDS. :D :D :D **

I was right about having some form of control over my dad. He didn't report me to the police, or anyone else for that matter. My mom's death was reported as a suicide. We had a funeral, and I was hunting during that time. It was funny, though, because I still wanted to hunt him. I guess for some reason I just had to finish the job, you know?

The funny part was that I knew he was hunting me, too. And he knew I was hunting him.

He didn't have to say anything for me to know he was hunting me. He was always getting weapons and stuff, and he started practicing a lot. He avoided me too, more than he had in the first few days before the funeral. Another clue was the looks he would give me. My father was much too obvious. He didn't know how to hunt humans.

And then the Day came. The Day that I'd decided I'd start my hunt.

I got a couple of knives and hid them in my boots. I also got a gun and several boxes of bullets. I wouldn't have bothered with so many weapons, only I knew that this was the end of this town being my home. And if you thought I was going to travel unprotected, who the fuck are you? Have you no brain? So my dad and I went hunting. We said it was for animals, but we both knew it was for each other. We separated, and the deadly game began.

I hid in a tree and waited for him. I think a few hours passed, but eventually he did come. He must have been waiting for me as well, but he doesn't have random thoughts to amuse him while he bides his time. I smirked and leant heavily on my tree branch, waiting for him to get close enough. Then I threw one of my knives.

It hit his knee, and he went down. Immediately he started firing his gun into the tree, so I jumped down. I had to run up and kick his wrist, but I knocked his gun out of his grasp. He looked up at me with wide eyes. "Why are you doing this? Why us?"

I laughed. "Oh, come on, Father. Surely you've put two and two together?" He shook his head, and I leant down so that we were eye level. "I got bored." I whispered.

And then my knife, the one I'd thrown into his knee, appeared in my right shoulder. I yelped in surprise and pain, and ripped it out. I stabbed him in the chest, then pulled it out and did it again. I stabbed him 5 times, until finally he'd stopped moving. I'd won. My father was dead.

I turned to my wound and pulled out a thread and needle. I gritted my teeth and stitched it up, and then I took pleasure in my victory. If I could beat him, I was sure I could beat anyone. It was funny, the look he'd given me. As though I'd betrayed him. Foolish man; he should have realized that I don't feel compassion.

I didn't go home. I'd already brought my father's wallet. I took his gun and the bullets he'd brought, and put both into my pockets. I walked away, leaving my father for the people to find. It oughtn't be too hard. I laughed a bit.

My life began anew that day.


	4. I meet an idiot

**FINALLY posting another chappie... sorry for the wait, I had to figure out how I was going to bring in a certain sweetie... ;) **

**Hmm Joice's life should get quite interesting from now on. :D I'm all excited~**

**BlackPaperMoon82462: First off, WHOOO SOUL EATER BABY YEAH! *cough* next, give it time, ok? :P **

**Handy: Yes. T_T You are SOOO fluffy... T_T **

**echo andalice: Actually they are in the FMA world, however, Joice can't perform alchemy. Kay can though! 8D **

**OH YEAH... Kay belongs to Shadow's Painting. :D Also known as Handy. :D **

Sometimes I thought I should write a book, like, "So You've Killed Your Family…". Because after that, life really started getting hard. I went to Central. It was big and bustling; honestly loads of fun. Plenty of people were there to swindle. I had fun cheating my way around, threatening and scaring men twice my age and height. There was nothing better. I was in paradise.

I guess I never questioned it. It seemed to be my fate. I felt truly pleased. Truly comfortable. My name spread throughout Central. Not my real name, no, but the name given to me. I wasn't an alchemist, just a thief. I was the Shadow, because no one ever saw me and lived to tell the tale. I suppose it was silly, but I enjoyed the attention.

That night, I was sitting in a bar, surveying my surroundings. I was low on money, and the alcohol I'd bought to shut up the bartender wasn't helping me there. I sipped a bit of my drink, looking around. There were several men, of course, but most were wearing clothes and took a stance that suggested they didn't have much money on them. Then he walked in.

He wore a nice, fitting suit. It looked quite expensive. A sword hung around his waist. Even when it was in its sheath, I could see that it had cost a lot. I smirked over my martini glass and took in his tired features—long red hair with sideburns, blue eyes, tan skin… despite his undeniably pleasing looks, it was clear he hadn't been with anyone in a while. He'd be easy to fool. I got up and headed towards him, sliding into the seat next to him.

He didn't seem to notice as he ordered a mug of beer. I sighed, was he really oblivious? "So. Come here often?" I asked, catching his attention. He looked over at me and blushed, and immediately I wanted to change out of the idiotic slut's outfit I used for such missions as collecting money. "Nah…" He muttered. "I'm not one for drinking."

I smirked as he took the beer and took a swig. "Oh, of course not.." I said, barely keeping my voice from becoming sarcastic. "Well, I haven't seen you around, that's for sure." _If I had, you'd be in an obituary already. _I chuckled at my thought and waved my hand, before pulling out a cigarette. "Smoke?" I offered, hoping to get him as disoriented as I could. "Naw.." He said. "I'm not one for those things."

I huffed and pocketed them. Then I continued to talk to him. Eventually he seemed to melt down, and we got into a "charming" conversation. _Come on, get drunk already. _For someone who didn't drink, he sure could hold his liquor.

Eventually I decided I might as well give it a try. "Wanna get out of here?" I offered, smirking broadly. He stared at me. "Naw… why would I do that?" _Is he serious? _I stared at his honest, oblivious expression. He really didn't get the innuendo. Whoever this idiot was, it wasn't worth tricking him. I sighed and stood up. "Well, I'm afraid I have to go, Mr…"

"Tzumani." He said. "Kay Tzumani." He held out a hand to shake and I ignored it. "Right." I walked by, quickly slipping his wallet out his back pocket as I did so. "Pleasure meeting you, sir." I smirked coldly and went to the register, using his money to pay for my drinks, and walking out.

I walked on towards the abandoned warehouse I'd been staying at, hoping to get out of the idiotic clothes I was wearing quickly, and into my usual sweatshirt, when I heard their voices. They must have been following me; cornering me; but I'd been too caught up in my thoughts to notice. "Hey, hey, pretty lady." The first said. I turned. There were two behind me, and another in front. "Well, look what I've found, a couple dogs." I sneered coldly, and they snickered. "Aw, come now, that's rude to say." They advanced. I let them, seeing as there was no possible escape route. Who cared; I could fight, even if my weapons weren't on me.

"My life is built around rude." I shrugged, and they continued to advance. The first man that'd spoken advanced. "I'll teach you to be polite, then." He sneered, and went to grab my wrist. Immediately I kicked him in the groin, and took a step back. The guy behind me advanced, and I elbowed him in the gut, immediately moving my fist up to clock him in the jaw. Soon they were all attacking me at once. Despite my strength and skill, I could feel myself slowing down. And then I felt something cold and metal sliding into my gut. All of a sudden pain hit me so hard, and I felt myself stumble back. I looked down to see the knife in my gut. The man smirked and pulled it out, and I screamed. "Not so tough now, huh!" The man sneered.

"BASTARDS!" A voice yelled. I looked with a blurring vision to see a familiar red-headed male running up, pulling out his sword. I could have sworn I saw blue sparks of electricity running up and down the blade, but not soon after my vision turned spotty, before I blacked out altogether.


	5. He wants to help

**O_O **

**This chapter is SO LONG! :'D I'm so proud of myself. **

**More Kay, yay!~ **

**Dammit Handy, if you don't like this, I don't know what to tell you. **

I regained consciousness gradually. My eyes were still closed; I felt too exhausted both mentally and physically to open them. What had happened? I struggled to get a grasp on reality, as my psyche toyed with me. Suddenly I felt a gentle, slightly ticklish motion on my stomach. I started to give an instinctive laugh from the feeling, until I realized that it was my bare skin. My eyes snapped open. I felt my cheeks burn as I saw a man standing over me, wrapping bandages around my stomach. My shirt had been pulled up to just under my bra, and my entire abdomen was revealed to him. I punched him away furiously. "WHAT THE HELL!" I yelled, as he backed away, his hands flying to his injured face. I stood, and pain sliced through my gut. I looked down at the bandages. Right. I got stabbed. I pulled the shirt down and glared at him. "What did you think you were doing?!"

He held his nose, telling me without words that I must have hit him harder than I meant. "Ok, first off, OW!" He said, his blue eyes zeroing in on me. "And second off, I was helping you!" I took in his features; red hair, blue eyes, a sword… "You're that guy from the bar." I said coldly, still feeling angry adrenaline pumping through my veins. He nodded. "Yeah… I figured out you took my wallet, so I went to get you… then I saw those guys."

I glared. "Fuck you, I would have been fine without your help." I grumbled, crossing my arms. He gaped, his cheeks turning red. "YOU WOULD HAVE DIED!" Now I sent him a cold smirk, just to freak him out. It worked; he gave a shudder. "I would have survived." I said in an eerie tune, and grinned as he gave a larger shudder. "So, Mr. Tsunami, right?" Now he scowled. "It's Tzumani." I grinned. "Whatever." I said, earning a cold glare. Good. I'd much prefer this to… whatever. I shoved him lightly on the shoulder, causing him to slightly stumble backwards. "I'll be going now." I went to walk, and winced as I pulled on my wound. He grabbed my arm, and I knocked him away, my eyes narrowing. "Stop that."

"Stop what?" He asked, clearly growing more frustrated by the second. "Stop trying to act like a prince. I don't need anyone's help." I said harshly. What kind of idiot was this? He helps a woman who tries to steal his wallet? What an idiot. I rolled my eyes and tried to move again, and he grabbed my shoulder. "No; I can't let you go out in that state. You might get hurt more." Ugh, he wouldn't stop! I grabbed him by his arm—let's see how he likes it—and slammed him against the wall, as his eyes widened in surprise. "Look, buddy, I don't want your help, ok?" I said in a harsh, cold tone. "I can do whatever I want, and much better than a man like you could. Just watch me." He shook his head. "No, not after you got hurt like that."

I resisted the urge to slap him. "I need to get my stuff, damn you, and I'm not letting you stop me." Kay Tzumani crossed his arms. "Fine, but I'm coming with you." He said stubbornly. I gave an exasperated sigh. "Fine, whatever." I grumbled, and he grinned. "Great!" He led me to a car, and before he could open the door for myself—I could read on his face that he planned to—I got into the passenger's seat. This time it was his turn to give an exasperated sigh, as he got into the driver's side. He drove off, as I gave him instructions to the abandoned warehouse I'd made my place for the past month or so.

We arrived shortly, and I could sense his confusion. "But… this is a.." I felt a flash of irritance. "Yeah, so?" I lashed out harshly, then sighed. "I'll be right back." I got out of the truck and headed in. _Finally _I got to change into my old sweatshirt and pants, and tucked my knives into my boots and sleeves. I slipped my beloved gun into my pocket, and headed back out. I didn't pay the man's truck any attention, as I continued to walk despite the jabs of pain I felt with every step. Then the truck started driving slowly besides me. My eye twitched in annoyance. "What. Do. You. Want." I hissed through clenched teeth. He sweatdropped. "I just want to make sure you're okay…"

"Well don't!" I yelled, turning to face him. As I turned I pulled harshly on my wound. I yelped, stumbling down. "D-damn…" I muttered, as I picked myself up carefully. A small red stain started growing on my white shirt, and his eyes widened. "H-hey.."

"I said I'm fine!" I yelled. I didn't want his help. Why would I?_ What a foolish person he was. _I walked on, and he continued to drive by me. My annoyance grew, as my wound stayed open and the red stain grew, and my motions slowed. He was winning in the stubbornness competition, and we both knew it. Finally I sighed; if I walked any more I'd pass out. I stopped, and so did he. "Fine." I muttered. He grinned and opened the door for me. I scowled and got into his _damn car_, and we rode on.

I sighed as we got to his place, and I slumped against the doorframe. He gave me a nervous look, and for the first time I noticed that he was taller than me. _Damn_. I grimaced. "I'm fine, unlock the damn door." I muttered, and immediately he did so. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." He said, his voice kind, and a flash of irritance flashed through me again. Who was this bastard kidding? _I was supposed to be upsetting him. _I punched his shoulder weakly as he opened the door and I walked through, sitting on a table and crossing my legs moodily. I pulled out my gun, polishing it with a cloth calmly, and smirked as he paled and backed away. "Y-you have a gun?" He stammered. I raised an eyebrow. "Well, of course. They're simply wonderful creations, aren't they?" I stared at the shining metal and polished it, removing all my fingerprints, as he stammered, "W-well… I suppose, but…" I gave a chuckle. "I'm not going to waste bullets on an idiot like you." He turned red. "I'm not an idiot!" I raised an eyebrow again. "Oh, of course…" I said in a mocking tone, loving how embarrassed and frustrated he looked. Hell, if he was going to let a bitch into his house, he'd have to learn his lesson.

He shook his head. "Geez… I'm just trying to help you." I rolled my eyes. "Yes, by forcing me under your roof. Oh, I feel so taken care of already." I said sarcastically. He turned red. "I'm not going to do anything to you!" he protested. "Suuuuure…" I mocked. Geez, he was _too_ easy. I could get him off my case easy, even when breathless from pushing too hard on my injury.

He sighed. "Whatever.." He muttered, setting down his sword. I shrugged, repocketing my gun, and he looked over at me, grinning. I raised an eyebrow. _He's still trying to be friendly? _"Want something to eat?" He offered. I rolled my eyes. "Whatever, sure." I muttered, and he headed to his kitchen to make something.


	6. unfair alchemy

**Ah... so this is clearing up some stuff... OOOH THINGS ARE GETTING EXCITING. IN THE NEXT CHAPPIE, SHE MEETS THE HOMUNCULI FUCK YEAH**

***clears throat* anyways, this was hard for me... I'm not too great at building characters up...**

**READ THIS STORY IN KAY'S POV. /s/8939283/1/The-End-is-Nowhere-Near **

**You just have to write fanfiction. n e t before that. P: **

**OH BTDUBS this actually takes place a few years before the Ishvalan War. Cuz if I don't state that now, there are going to be some seriously confused midgets out there. ;) **

**So here's your next chappie, BlackPaperMoon, Handy, everyone else following/reading this. :3 I love it. **

Soon Kay had set out some food for us to eat, and I sat on the couch, he on an armchair across from me. I glared at the food even as he dug in, not in any mood for eating, as my mind ran a mile a minute. _What am I supposed to do now? _I wondered. Here I was, stuck with some sort of idiot, and he had no idea who I was. I was a murderer; a crazy bitch from hell, and he thought I was just some helpless bimbo. He had to think that. Oh well. I would teach him. He would learn who I was, and he'd learn well.

Finally I huffed. "Give me the gauze." I demanded, and he looked up from his food. "Wha?" He asked, his mouth half-full. I gritted my teeth and resisted the urge to facepalm, or maybe stab him. My fists clenched and unclenched. "The gauze. Give it to me—now."

He blinked and scrambled around, going to get it. Finally he offered the roll of gauze to me, his eyes slightly worried. "I could help you, you know…" He muttered. I glared. "I'm fine with doing this myself, thank you." I snapped harshly. I pulled my slightly bloodied shirt up just enough to tend to my injuries and started unbandaging my wound, pulling the stained gauze away without pause. The blood had dried a bit on the edges, causing the bandages to stick to my skin, and I worried that my wound may reopen, but I refused to stop.

Kay Tzumani winced as he watched me work, and soon the bandages lay in a bloody pile on the floor. I stared at my wound. It looked nasty. It was clear that Mr. Tzumani had cleaned it best he could, yet when it'd reopened earlier it'd sent blood pouring out. It was foolish of me to walk as long as I did. I heard Mr. Tzumani take a hiss of breath. "Damn… that looks nasty." I looked up to see him ogling my injury, and put on a cold smirk. "Doesn't it?" I grabbed the glass of water he'd gotten me and ripped a small piece of gauze, soaking it. I started to clean away the blood, water mixing with it and running down my stomach in swirly pink streaks. When I was done cleaning the wound, I rebandaged it calmly. I let my shirt fall over the fresh bandages and sighed.

"So. Mr. Tsumani." I smirked as his face turned red and he corrected me, "Tzumani." I waved my hand as though disregarding him. "Explain your sword to me. I could swear it sparked before I passed out, but maybe I was hallucinating?" He shook his head and grinned broadly. "No, you weren't. That was my alchemy."

A pang of jealousy shot through me. This _idiot _could perform alchemy? Unfair! I kept my expression completely neutral, however angry I was on the inside, as I raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?" He nodded and pulled his sword out, showing me the transmutation circle carved on the hilt. "It's electric alchemy, and it's about the only kind I can do. I learned it from my parents, before they…" He stopped talking and put his sword away. "Died." I said coldly. He nodded. So he was an orphan. How _sad_. I smirked. "Well, hopefully they had more brains than you." He turned red. "What's that supposed to mean!"

I rolled my eyes. "You're an idiot, obviously." I almost burst into laughter at his expression, but managed to maintain a stoic expression. "I'm not an idiot!" He protested. I raised an eyebrow, clearly mocking him, and he turned an even brighter shade of red. His face nearly matched his hair now, and despite myself I found it rather cute—wait a second, _cute?! _I was Joice- fucking- Fairfax, bitch from hell! No way I thought that this complete imbecile was in any way, shape, or form cute! He was annoying! He was- he was- ah, dammit. "Uh… miss?" Mr. Tzumani's voice suddenly interrupted my thoughts, and I looked up to see him staring at me. I realized then that I'd allowed a silence to fill the air instead of responding to him. Dammit. I glared at him coldly. "The name's Joice, Joice Fairfax." I told him, and his cheeks heated up. "Sorry; I didn't know your name…" He muttered.

I stood, barely flinching this time when my wound protested at the sudden movement. "You're such an imbecile." I muttered, my mind running a mile a minute. _Why the fuck would I have given him my name?! _I asked myself, panicked inwardly but perfectly calm on the outside.

He blinked. "So… why'd you steal my wallet, anyways?" I smirked at him; that I could answer. "Girl's gotta eat." I shrugged, answering him vaguely just because it was fun to watch him get annoyed. He sighed. "So do you really live in a—"

"Abandoned warehouse?" I interrupted. "Yes I do. It's quite fitting, actually." I smirked. "But you wouldn't know that, rich as you are." My tone was cold and accusing, and I hid a smirk when he turned red again. "Not really…" He scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously. "Most of this stuff is stolen." I raised an eyebrow, bemused. Maybe he wasn't quite as stupid as I thought—most of the things surrounding us were quite pricey. "Hm, interesting." I smirked. "And how'd you manage that?"

He shrugged. "I used to just steal it, is all. Then I got this sword, and I scared it offa them." I gave a sarcastic laugh. "So you've never killed anyone."

"Nope."

_Typical. _

I smirked. "Figures." He raised his eyebrows at me. "So you have? Killed, I mean." I burst into laughter then. When I managed to calm down, I smirked coldly at him. "Of course." I couldn't help but think about how I'd intended to kill him. It was so funny to me then, that he had no idea.

It wasn't really funny, though. Because I should have kept him on edge. Looking back, I should have told him. Just so he'd know what I was capable of.


	7. nightmare

**Sorry, I would have made this longer... but I couldn't take myself seriously. **

**This chappie... credit goes to my friend in math class, Rebecca. You rock. X'D I have no idea what this is... WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME. **

It was a bright, sunny day. Birds chirped in the trees, and butterflies flew across the meadow. The grass was green and flowers grew in abundance. I loved the sight. A brook bubbled and I walked over to it cheerfully, sitting at the edge and dipping my bare toes into the cool water. I giggled cheerfully and grabbed some flowers, weaving them into a necklace.

It was so lovely that day, and I felt so lighthearted. Then Kay walked up and sat next to me. "Hey!" I chirped, grinning at him. He grinned right back and waved. "Sup."

"Oh, not much." I grinned as he picked a flower, and I started humming, continuing with my necklace. Soon he tapped my shoulder and I turned, smiling at him. "Yes?"

"Here." He showed me the flower—he'd weaved it into a ring. "I want you to have this." He slid it onto my finger and I gasped. "Thank you; that's so sweet!" I said happily, hugging him tightly. He hugged me back, and I could tell he was blushing. "No problem, Joice." Then we looked at each other, face to face. Suddenly he leaned in, and so did I, and as we were about to kiss—

I woke suddenly, sitting upright in my bed. "What a nightmare." I groaned, falling back into my bed.


	8. the Shadow

**Finally! Borrowed my sis's laptop to finish typing this. I'm so happy with it and I'm super sorry for the long wait! ENJOY!**

**I love you all! :D **

**Here's chapter 8 of Joice Fairfax, bitch from hell. :D **

The newspaper talked about me quite a lot. Of course, no one knew who I truly was—they just spoke of the horrid killer, dubbed "Shadow", who ran rampant around Central. Most of the time, they even got my gender wrong, assuming I was male because I killed so violently. Fools.

What? You didn't think I'd stopped killing just because I met Kay, did you? Far from it, really. As soon as my wounds had healed enough, I went back out and got to work. I may have stayed with Kay, but I most certainly was not going to depend on him. I was going to make my own money. I wasn't sure whether or not Kay had pieced together that Shadow from the newspapers was actually living with him, but if he did, he certainly didn't let on. That was ok. At that point, I had no intentions of harming him. Dare I say it? I actually enjoyed the time I spent with him.

But of course that was ridiculous. Me, Joice Fairfax, bit from hell—enjoying myself with a _human_. The logic in this was absurd. I may have been human as well, but I despised others.

I remember _that _day far too well. It set me on the course of such outrageous events that most would never accept it. It started out innocent enough. I had breakfast with Kay. Don't ask me why, for I could never give you a reason. I just wanted to. I do a lot of things on a whim, and as much as I try to keep them logical, there are still times I fail. Such as that day. I was reading the newspaper, checking on the Shadow case. I had apparently been labeled as a male in his 20's, tall and Caucasian. I laughed, and Kay looked up at me. "What is it?" He asked.

I gave him my standard eerie, cheerful grin. "Oh, nothing."

He persisted, however, and blamelessly so. "You're looking at a manhunt. How is that funny?" His expression was guarded, and I wondered not for the last time what was running through his head.

For some reason, I didn't want to tell him the truth. I didn't want him to know the horrible things I'd done. _Why? _Why did I care what he had to say? He was only a thief, a clumsy, awkward human. Besides, normally I was proud of my killing abilities. It was strange. Still, I lied.

"This Shadow person is… dead." I told Kay.

He blinked and stared at me. "Are you serious?" He asked, with such honesty in his voice that I froze.

Serious? I was rarely serious, choosing instead to mock people and crack jokes. The only thing I was consistently serious about was killing. Why had I lied? I asked myself again. It was a foolish decision, but instead of setting Kay straight, I lied again. I said yes.

And the fool believed me.

We both set out that day, though in separate directions. I'm not completely sure whether he still stole or not, but I assumed he did. Why would he stop, after all?

I went out and I killed again—this time a sumbag smoking shit in the streets. What a fool. He deserved death; you could tell he'd done horrid things by the way he held himself. He smoked to forget.

Of course, by that logic, I was deserving of death as well. However, I accepted this. I welcomed the day I'd die. It seemed like a terribly fun adventure.  
I left the man, stripped of anything of value, and went on with my day. I should have hidden his body. I didn't know what leaving him there would do. If I'd known, I wouldn't have left a trace.

When I got home, Kay was still out and about. I didn't bother myself with this—I certainly wasn't responsible for him. I chose instead to cook. It was nothing fancy; a spaghetti my sister had loved. Honestly, it's a surprise I remembered the recipe. At the same time, however, I suppose it wasn't such a surprise at all, for I remembered everything, down to the very day I was born.

I made enough for two, but Kay never showed up. What was wrong with him? He never was this late. Still, I refused to let myself worry. Perhaps he got lost, or tripped and hit his head. I rolled my eyes. I'd find him in the morning. At that moment, however, I chose to sleep.

The next morning, as always I went through the newspapers. I had to do this, for reasons unknown even to me. I picked up the newspaper, and there is was, on the front page, in large bold lettering: "Shadow caught red-handed". _What? _I unfolded the paper, revealing a blown-up picture of Kay Tzumani, his eyes wide and sword unsheathed, staring at a body. The man I'd killed the day before.

I looked closely at the picture. The man had been facedown when I left him the day before, but in the picture he was laying on his back. I could only assume Kay had turned him over, and with his sword, no doubt.

The paper went on about how this man—Kay fucking Tzumani—had been charged for assault and murder, and many more than one account. The number was in the thirties. Had I truly killed that many people?

I gritted my teeth in anger and threw the paper onto the counter. "How dare that idiot get credit for _my _hard work?!" I yelled to no one in particular, furious. I grabbed my boots, with the knives tucked safely into their straps, and pulled them on, and grabbed my gun as well before heading out. I was going to kill those bastards who jailed Kay, and then maybe Kay as well, for being such a _damn idiot. _

To be honest, I always assumed there would come a day when I would have to break out of the Central prison. I simply never realized I might have to break into it first. I also didn't realize how incredibly angry I would be. I don't anger easily, oddly enough. Why I was so pissed was beyond me.

I'm not sure how many military officials I killed that day. Honestly, one blue uniform blurred into another. All I remember is the smell of gunpowder, the sound of gunshots, and the peculiar feeling of my knives slicing through the air, through throats, through abdomens. I worked in a blind rage, making my way towards Kay's cell. Still, the officials came and came and came. How many idiots worked here?

Somehow, I got lucky enough to shake the bastards off, and I reached Kay's jail cell. There was a single man standing guard, who looked a bit freaked out by my appearance. I truly can't blame him. I must have looked a sight, bloodstained and holding a knife in my left hand, a gun in my right. If I frightened him, then good. I was the bitch from hell, and he had reason to be scared. "Move away from him, you bastard." I hardly recognized my own voice as I shot a bullet through the bastard guard's forehead. Then I walked towards Kay's prison cell.

"Joice?" Kay's voice was shaky; he seemed frightened. I looked over at him and felt oddly guilty.

I snorted. "Idiot. What the hell do you think you're doing? Getting arrested under _my_ persona. Geez." I muttered and started rooting around in the dead guard's pockets, searching for the key to Kay's cell.

"_Your_ persona?" Kay blinked. "Joice… _Are you insane? _What do you think you're doing, coming here?" He demanded.

I sent him a sharp glare. "Saving your sorry ass." I retorted, before standing. This guard didn't have the keys, and I didn't have time to find them. I could already hear more guards approaching us. I pulled out my gun calmly, and gave Kay Tzumani a cold look. "Move away from the door." I demanded.

Kay blinked, his eyes trained on my gun, as though I may shoot him or something. Idiot. "What?" He asked.

"Do it now!" My yell startled him, and he obeyed. I shot the lock.

While it did pop the bitch lock open, causing the door to swing open and free Kay, the bullet rebounded, grazing my left leg. Damn. I didn't show pain, but rather moved aside for Kay.

He walked out and gave me a hesitant smile. "Thanks…" He trailed off.

I looked away. I hated him thanking me for anything, because it made me feel an odd, warm sensation in my stomach. _No, _I so _did not _like him. I would not allow myself to believe that. "Yeah, yeah." I waved him off. "Let's go" Despite the stabbing pain in my leg, I walked on, towards the exit, leaving Kay to follow. He did so, which was clever for his part.

A few more guards came upon us. Immediately I set in on them, moving in a blur and slitting one's throat while turning and shooting another at the same time. As I finished the rest off, I became oddly aware of the fact that Kay was _right there_. I could feel him watching me, seeing for his own eyes what a sick monster I truly could be. Well, did he want to die or not? If he did, I could leave him behind, easily.

Did I regret killing in front of him? Yes. A little. But I didn't let myself think about it. I usually didn't care if people saw; I would just kill them too. Something about him was different. I shouldn't have hesitated when I first met him, for now I was attached, and nothing could stop that. I really was a fool.

As we exited, I turned to face more guards approaching us. "You got the wrong bitch, assholes. I'm the Shadow, not this idiot." I said coldly. And then we were gone, headed home. I didn't dare to ask Kay what he was thinking. I'd just killed multiple people right in front of him, in cold blood. Did he hate me for what I'd done? I was far too afraid to ask. Instead, I rushed back home, and locked myself in a room alone.

I only wish I'd known exactly who was watching. Sure, I knew about Kay, and about those surviving guards, but I didn't know about everyone. I couldn't have. That one mistake would change my life forever.


	9. a deal for eternal life

**Alright, so you can expect faster replies. Don't expect them daily like this shit, but I've gotten past the hardest part, so yeah. **

**Anyways, here you go and all. :D **

**Joice...**

**and some cannon. X3 I love cannon, don't you? It was fun to write out. VERY fun. **

I don't know how long I stayed in that room. All I know is that it was past midnight when I finally came out. I took a shower and changed my clothes, and then I went downstairs. The lights were on, which made me feel oddly paranoid, as though something may have happened to Kay.

I walked into the kitchen. Kay was passed out at the table. I had no idea what had happened, until I noticed all the empty beer bottles. I felt strangely guilty, knowing that I had caused him to do something like that. Funny. Normally I didn't give a shit how I affected others. Kay seemed to be the only one I cared about. No—no, I didn't care about him. How could I? I was a psychotic murderer—I'd proven that just hours ago. I was born not to love, but rather to kill. It was who I was.

I cleaned the kitchen, the best I could. I got rid of the beer bottles, and washed Kay's plate. I doubted he'd want to wake up with a hangover, surrounded by trash. When I was finished, I turned off the light and slipped away into my bedroom. It took a few more hours to fall asleep, but somehow I managed it.

I know I only got two or three hours of sleep, for when I reawoke, it was dawn, as per my usual. I never could seem to sleep past that time. It truly could be quite the annoyance. I shrugged it off, however, and stood slowly. Yesterday's events had not left my mind, and I wondered if Kay would be ok, and if he hated me. I didn't know, and I hated not knowing.

I left the house, though not to kill. It didn't hold the same excitement as before. Strange.

I went walking, though not through the city. I took routes that most tend to ignore. I wanted the quiet, and most importantly, I didn't want to be seen.

After a while, I finally managed to convince myself that I was alone. I sat on the curb and stared out into space, trying to figure out how to react. That was always the hardest part for me. For normal people, I suppose it was easy. You reacted the way your personality told you to. I just didn't know how I should do so. That's why I found killing so much easier. You got pissed, you stabbed the bastard. But that wouldn't work in this situation. I wasn't exactly angry. Upset, yes, but far from angry. I sighed. "You really managed to fuck things up for yourself, huh, Joice?" I muttered aloud. It crossed my mind that this was odd behavior even for me, but what else was I to do? I was, for once, at a loss.

Eventually I went home. I can't tell how long I was gone, but when I returned, Kay was awake. He looked over at me, and then away again, and I tried to figure out what he was thinking. I closed the door and sighed. What should I say? How could I possibly make this better? I doubted I could.

I slipped into my room and pulled out my gun. It was polished again, of course; I never let it go unpolished. It was my father's gun primarily, after all. I loaded a single bullet into the pistol and went back into the room Kay sat in.

He looked over at me again, and saw the gun. Something akin to fear crossed his face for a moment, which was silly. I wasn't going to kill him.

I walked over and handed him the gun. "Here." I said. In response, Kay merely stared at me silently, as his hand closed around it. "Careful, it's loaded." I warned, and Kay held the gun more delicately.

"What are you doing, Joice?" He asked, and I was surprised at how guarded his voice had become. Merely a day ago, we had been able to speak to one another at ease. I had ruined everything.

"Shoot me, if you want." I said, and he stared at me, his expression incredulous. "Shoot me, or accept me. I told you the Shadow was dead. If you want, you can make it so. Shadow, shot by the man she got out of prison. You'll be a hero." Normally I would have sneered at the thought of anyone being a hero, but now was different. When I spoke again, my voice was quieter than I meant for it to be. "Either I die or we both go on with our lives."

Kay stared at me, and at the gun, and back at me. Would he do it? A few tense moments ticked by, and then Kay Tzumani sighed, setting the gun on the coffee table in front of him. "I'm not going to shoot you, Joice. _I'm _not a killer."

Despite the biting last sentence, I immediately relaxed. It wasn't that I was afraid of dying. Oh no, I actually welcomed hell. It sounded like an intriguing enough challenge. I was anxious because of the obvious fact that, if he shot me, it meant that Kay truly didn't care about me, not one bit. I don't know why that mattered, or at least why it mattered to me. I hated people caring about me. It was better if everyone just thought I was a bitch, and maybe he did. Maybe he didn't care about me, but simply didn't have it in him to harm anyone.

"I apologize, Mr. Kay." I said, my voice nearly inaudible. "I should never have done that in front of you."

Kay gave me another incredulous look. "No, you should never have done that _at all_." He was right, of course, but I couldn't help it. I _had _to kill, as he had to breathe.

I nodded, and we sat in silence for a while. Then I spoke up again. "I was going to kill you when I first met you, you know." I told him.

Kay just sighed. "Yeah, I figured." He muttered.

I nodded. It was, after all, rather obvious by now. "Now, though, I don't think I want to. The thought of hurting you; it just… It makes me feel sick." I said honestly, staring at my gun. Sometimes I wish I was a mind reader. I had no earthly or unearthly idea what he was thinking at that moment, and I longed to know.

"Oh." Kay muttered. Then came the inevitable, unanswerable question. "Why?"

I didn't respond at first. Oh, there was a reason. I actually gave a fuck about him. I wanted to have him in my life more than I wanted to shoot every motherfucker in the city. It was odd, so horridly, disastrously odd. "I don't know." I lied. It was the best I could do.

Kay sighed again. "Whatever." He muttered, and turned away. Our conversation was over. I didn't blame him one bit.

I walked away. I left my gun with Kay, and I think that shows how far off I was, because I never went anywhere without my gun. It was the only thing I ever gave a damn about, and now I was leaving it with Kay. I must have lost my mind or something. There was no other way of looking at it.

I went up to my room, and closed the door. I was alone, or so I thought. Then an androgynous voice behind me said, "Hello, Joice."

Immediately I whirled around, pulling a knife from my boo and pointing it at the intruder. My hand lowered in hesitation, however, for this person looked extremely strange. They had long hair, _green _of all colors, and pale skin. They had the chest of a male, but a feminine face, and wore a tube top and miniskirt. There's a lot of things I could have said, comments I could have made, but the first that escaped my mouth was, "What the fuck are you?"

The intruder's easy smirk dropped into an expression of confusion. "Huh?"

"Are you a man, a woman, or a palm tree?" I asked. Seriously. This person looked like a walking, talking, miniskirt-wearing palm tree.

Their face turned red. "I'm a man, dammit!" He yelled at me. His carefree persona was gone, and now he just looked annoyed.

I nodded slowly. "Get out." I deadpanned. When he didn't move, smirking instead, I raised my knife threateningly. "I mean it."

The dude just laughed. "How human of you, to think that will harm me." He mocked.

I blinked. "What?" Now it was my turn to be dumbfounded.

He gave a cold, mocking sort of laughter, his purple eyes sharp and cunning. "Follow me and I'll let Father explain." The man said.

Here's where I made the strangest and stupidest decision I ever would. "Lead the way." I said.

This guy—he introduced himself as Envy, of all names—led me, like he said he would. As we walked, he started to talk to me. "You didn't really think we wouldn't notice you after that little stunt, did you?" He asked.

"What stunt?" I responded. I mean, come on, I've pulled a lot of shit over the years.

Envy just looked at me. "You broke into a prison and left with a prisoner, unscathed." He deadpanned. I decided it would be a better idea not to mention my bullet had grazed my leg.

"Uhhuh… And why does that matter?" I asked.

Envy just laughed. "You'll see." He wouldn't say anything more after that, and it left me curious enough to continue following him, even when he took me underground.

Seriously, Amestris is a strange place, you know. Did you know that there's rooms underneath Central? Just below Central Command itself is the biggest room of them all. It's rather creepy, with extremely high ceilings and plenty of pipes. I can see where it leads to other rooms, as well. It's all clean and everything, but still.

Anyways, in the room Envy brought me to, some old man was sitting in a seat that seemed to be made almost entirely out of pipes. Like, all the pipes lead to him. What the fuck was this shit? "We're here, Father." Envy said to the strange person.

The dude looked at me. I swear, there was no emotion in his eyes. He was the strangest person I had yet to meet. And I was just talking to a miniskirt-wearing man reminiscent of palm trees.

"Joice Fairfax." The man stared at me. "For someone so young, you do well at hiding from the military. You're an excellent killer."

What, so this geezer wanted to talk about my skill at killing bitches? "Yeah, so?" I asked bluntly.

Father seemed bemused by my bluntness, if any emotion crossed his blank face. "I want to make a deal with you." He said, as blunt as I. And suddenly he started offering me immortality, of all things. Immortality!

"Woah, woah, hold the fuck up." I stopped Father, who seriously has a weird-ass name. He stared at me expectantly. "You expect me to believe that immortality is for real? Yeah right." I said plainly.

Father just sighed. "Envy?" Envy grinned and nodded, grabbing my knife. I hadn't even realized I still had it on me. Weird.

Then he cut his own head off.

Oh. My. Fucking. God. He cut his head off! I was just trying to figure out what the fuck he was thinking, or how to react, when it started to grow back, which, mind you, was _creepy_. First his bones grew, then his veins and muscles and shit, and then his skin. It was freakish. I stared in shock. "…You have got to be fucking kidding me…" I muttered, saying the first thing that crossed my mind.

"Nope." Envy smirked at me coldly, clearly finding humor in my shock.

"You can become immortal like my children, Joice Fairfax. But first, I want something in return." Father told me.

He wanted me to work as an assassin. He wanted me to kill for him; whoever gets in the way of some weird-ass plan he has. How could I resist? All I had to do was kill some motherfuckers until I was 25, at which point he promised to make me into a homunculus—an immortal being, like Envy. There are seven now, he informed me. One for each of the seven deadly sins.

I accepted his offer. The deal sounded far too enticing to pass up. Then I went home, where Kay was still. I'll never know if he went out or not, but merely that he was home before I was. "What've you been up to?" He asked me. I couldn't tell if it was an accusation or not.

"I… met some freaks." I said honestly. I couldn't tell him the entire story, so instead I informed him on as much as I could. Apparently the homunculi are below-the-radar people, which is cool and shit, but it meant I couldn't tell Kay Tzumani about my deal to get immortality. I don't know if Kay believed that was all I did or not, but it was the best I could do.

Things had changed a lot since I first met him. That's all I knew.


	10. a ring and a date-- as friends!

**Enough of the crazy ass shit I've been posting; time for something fluffy! **

**Enjoy. **

**And sappy ending to the chapter. **

**Sue me. **

I spent the rest of the day with Kay. It was fun, I guess. He seemed pretty cheerful, considering the recent events, but what do I know? He made supper, which was cool. I found it odd that he took everything so calmly. You'd think he'd freak out, but no. Kay was like no one I'd ever met before. It was… cool. I was surprised at myself for thinking this, but I did regardless.

The day passed quickly enough, and then I went to bed. I crawled in and my head hit the pillow. And, oddly enough, it hurt. There was something small and hard under my pillow. _What? _I felt confused as I pulled a small box from its place under my pillow.

It was green, and pretty small. Thank God it wasn't black; that would have been far too cliché for my taste. Anyways, I opened the box to see a ring.

It was really pretty. I didn't usually like jewelry, but this one looked really cool. It was fashioned to look like a snake coiling around, the tail meeting up right next to the little head, with a tiny gemstone for an eye. I sighed, and took it into my hands, leaving the box behind. I walked over to the room Kay resided in at the time.

I won't lie; I walked right in without a second thought. He was carving something into the hilt of a new sword—I assumed it was a transmutation circle—but when I walked in, he looked up at me. I held up the ring. "Did you use money to get this?" I asked bluntly.

Kay nodded, and I think he may or may not have been blushing. At the time, I didn't really stop to think about it.

I sighed. "Well, that was stupid. You could easily have stolen this, if you wanted to."

Kay just nodded. "I know." He said. I swear, it was impossible to read him. It annoyed me.

I nodded and turned to leave, when suddenly something more occurred to me. I stopped and turned back to face him, my hand still on the doorframe. "You do know you don't have to buy me shit to get me to fall for you, right? I mean, I'm going to like you just as much either wa—" I froze, realizing what I was saying, but it was too late. The damage was done. I felt my cheeks heading up. Holy shit. I, of all people, was _blushing. _And I'll be damned if Kay didn't grin. Bastard.

"I know, Joice. I wanted to do this." He said, and I swear he was trying not to laugh. So this was what it felt like to say too much. Huh.

I gave a curt nod. "Well… thank you. I suppose. Good night." I said awkwardly, and made my exxcape back to my room.

For all my talk, however, I don't think it really bothered me that he'd wasted his money like that. It didn't make much sense, but it gave me an odd sort of feeling; not a bad one, but I refused to let myself believe that I liked it. In any case, I wore the ring the next day. Kay noticed it, and I'm pretty sure when he turned away I saw that he was grinning.

For once I didn't have anything to do during the day, and I was at a loss. I refused to sit around and do nothing; I had far too much energy to do that. I didn't feel like going out as the Shadow anymore, either, which meant I had to find something else to do.

I glanced over at Kay, debating the pros and cons in my head. Finally I decided to just ask. "Hey, do you want to go do something?" It was odd for me to make such a request, and naturally Kay looked surprised.

"Um… Ok, I guess." He responded, and grinned at me.

Yay, something to do.

There was a carnival in town, so we went there. I don't know what else I would have done, except maybe watch him steal shit. It was my first time going to a carnival, but like hell I was going to tell Kay that. It was pretty fun. I mean, there was kettle corn. That actually tasted pretty good. There were some cool rides too, but I refused to go near the Ferris wheel. I mean, can you say cheesy? I don't do _cheesy. _

But, yeah. Don't get me wrong. It wasn't a date. We were just hanging out. And it was… fun. I, uh, I really liked it. To be honest, I couldn't remember the last time I'd actually enjoyed myself quite so much.

I think if I hadn't met the homunculi already, we would have been arrested that day. I mean, I was certainly a convicted felon, and Devil knows what people had to say about Kay. Anyways, we weren't arrested. Which was awesome.

At any rate, we hung out all day. When night came, a huge crack sounded in the air. I'll confess; at first I thought someone had come by with a gun. I whirled around, expecting trouble. I'm nothing if not paranoid.

Obviously it wasn't really a gun I'd heard. It was fireworks. They were awesome. Just… awesome. I guess I must have gotten distracted by them, because I heard Kay give a chuckle beside me. I looked over at him and he stopped, but he was grinning at me. "Oh, shut up." I muttered, and he just laughed.

"You're a piece of work, Joice." Kay said. I rolled my eyes at him, but I don't know. It was… different. I know that's a really shitty explanation, but it's the best I've got.

Then we went home.

Obviously our problems weren't over. I'd still probably emotionally scarred him for life, and I was still a sick and twisted bitch from hell. Kay was still unreadable, clumsy, and stupid. But that day, for once, we didn't have to worry about all the shit going on. It was fun to relax for once. And as stupid and ridiculous and crazy as fuck we both were, things were coming together.

It's amazing how quickly it all broke back apart.


	11. no rest, just fight

**Here you go, loves! I really hope you like this! **

**Anywho, the next in Joice's story. **

**Also...**

**If anyone here's been reading Not Spoken but Heard, I am in the process of rewriting that piece of shit. XD **

"No, please, you can't kill him! I love him!" The woman's red eyes filled with tears when I didn't lower my gun. Her dark skin contrasted greatly with her white nightgown, and in the night it made her look rather ephemeral.

My target was an Ishvalan priest. I had just been about to shoot him when his wife had leapt between us, making it impossible. I casted her a cold smirk. "Oh? But I heard he has no lover. Don't tell me he has a family, too?" I asked in mock surprise.

The woman seemed to fall for my ruse, as she grew slightly hopeful. "Yes, yes, please! Our sons, you can't take him away from our sons!" She cried frantically. Her husband placed his hands on her shoulders, his dark face filling with despair—_he _knew the truth.

I smirked at his wife, directing my gun at her forehead. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I forget to mention?" I asked with a sugar-coated smile. "My target isn't your husband. It's your entire family."

Her screams echoed in my ears long after I pulled the trigger.

Her husband was much easier to eradicate. The priest just stood there. He didn't even try to defend himself, but said in a broken voice, "Please, spare my boys." I didn't respond. I just shot him. Still, for some odd reason, I'd never found it quite as difficult to pull the trigger.

As for their children? I have no idea whether or not the boys survived. I burned the house down as I left, so the press could blame their deaths on a freak fire, but I don't know whether or not their sons awoke and escaped.

It had been a month since I started working for the homunculi. During that time, I'd been sent on three separate trips to a small desert city called Ishval, where I was to track down and kill random people and, on some occasions, families, and basically disturb the peace. They _wanted_ uprisings there, for reasons they would not explain to me.

Apart from the Ishvalans, I'd also had to take down two state alchemists, a civilian, and three military officials, all of whom had stuck their noses into the wrong business.

I took a train ride back home, and when I arrived, it was still dark out, so I dropped my gun on the coffee table and collapsed on the couch, utterly exhausted. The priest had been hidden in a safe house, and it had taken three solid days to track him down—three days in that damn glaring sun. I fell asleep quickly, without even getting a chance to go up to my room.

That was the first night I ever slept past dawn. When I reawoke, a blanket covered me. I sighed and threw it off; I didn't want to think about Kay doing anything nice for me. Kay was in the kitchen; I could smell cooking food. I joined him and slid into a seat at the table. "Hey." I muttered, still feeling a bit drowsy.

He looked over at me. "Hey. Where've you been?" He asks.

It was the same question he asked me every time I was gone for more than a day, and I gave him the same vague question as usual. "Oh, you know. Here and there." I'm sure it bothered him that I didn't just answer the question, but most of the things I did bothered people, so I didn't really care.

Then Kay paused, and looked at me again. "Joice… you have a sunburn on your face…" He said, albeit a bit hesitantly.

I froze. Seriously? My hand went up slowly and I poked my face. It stung painfully. I sat there, stunned. I couldn't believe I would let myself get burned like that, but I supposed I must have forgotten sunblock. It sucked.

"Where would you get a sunburn?" Kay asked, and I assumed it was out of honest curiosity, though it's not like he didn't have a reason to be suspicious.

I gave him a grin, despite the fact that I was panicking inwardly. "You must be dying of curiosity." I said, though I refused to give an answer.

It's not like I didn't want to tell Kay what was going on or anything. Far from it; my entire being was dying to tell him. Still, I kept it a secret. It was part of my deal with the homunculi. They would have to kill me if I told anyone. My chances at immortality would be shot. I reasoned that I could tell Kay after I became one of the homunculi.

Looking back, I suppose it was rather humorous that I was so upset over having gotten a sunburn, because I received much worse and more exotic injuries than that by far. I was sent to all sorts of places, and long months after that mission, I was sent to Drachma. A general there had made a deal with the homunculi, but corrupted by greed and power, was pushing things too soon and had to be dealt with. It took two weeks to find him, as I didn't speak the language and didn't know the land, and during that time I developed a case of frostbite and a bitter cold. Shrugging that off around Kay was a lot harder than it may sound. I was not much of a secret keeper, and I despised it when people lied, and yet here I found myself doing exactly that.

I had just gotten over the frostbite when it happened. I was upstairs, sharpening my knives. They had grown dull, and I never knew when I would be called to another job. I heard a sharp banging on the front door, and got up to see who it was.

Kay had gotten to the door before I, and I couldn't see whoever was there from my position. He opened the door and then immediately closed it again. He turned to me with an awkward look. "Who was that?" I asked, and he looked uncomfortable.

"Nobody…" He muttered, but Mr. Nobody started banging on the door again.

"Open the door, asshole, before I knock it down!" The stranger yelled.

Kay winced and reopened the door. The person was revealed to me. His arm had a nasty scar on it, but that's not what caught my attention. _I knew this person. _I'd seen his face before, but I couldn't seem to remember where. He gave Kay a victorious smile, as though he'd won something or whatever. I swear, you could smell the alcohol on him even from a distance. "No jazz before the rumble, huh? Well, the rumble's over." He said.

Kay's voice was a monotone. I'd never seen him hold himself so stiffly before. "I'm not going to fight you."

"Yes you are, Mr. I Can't Hurt a Fly. I'm not giving you a choice this ti—" The person froze, as he noticed me. He looked me up and down, and suddenly a grin stretched across his face again. He seemed to realize something, and looked over at Kay. I resisted the urge to slap his slimy grin off of his face. "You've got _someone, _eh? Well, I figured it'd be a stupid bitch, but I'd never thought you'd take her."

Excuse me? Stupid? My eye twitched. I've been called a lot of things, and most of the time I don't give a damn, really, but I am not stupid. I pride myself on my intelligence. "I'm not stupid." I growled, walking forwards.

The person didn't even glance at me. "I'm not talking to you, bitch." He sneered as he continued to pester Kay. _Idiot._

In one swift move, I slugged him, knocking him backwards. I rolled my eyes at his expression. "So where have I seen you before, huh?"

He grinned at me. "What, you don't recognize me? I certainly recognize you." His eyes fell from my face to my breast, and my face flushed in anger as I slugged him again. Now I remembered. This was the jackass that stabbed me. Tch, how stupid.

"Kay… Why not fight the bastard." I muttered coldly, walking off. "You fight him before I end up killing him, why don't you."

I knew Kay must have defeated him, because only a short while later I watched as he went slinking off to whatever scum-filled hole he came from. I sighed; it seemed impossible to get a break even when I didn't have work to do. Kay seemed to be surrounded by crazy fucks.


	12. She's creepier than Father

**BAZINGA! **

**The next chappie of Joice's story. :D**

**I love this. *sparkles* **

Envy charged at me, his right arm transformed into a green blade. I defended myself speedily with my knife and twisted down, causing a sickening popping sound to come from his limb as I disjointed it. A spark, and he was fine. I grinned and dashed at him, slicing my knife over and over again in an attempt to stab him.

Envy defended and we performed our violent dance. As he did so, he changed forms continuously. An Ishvalan woman I'd killed. A tall, handsome man. A young child. A teenager. No matter what form he took, I didn't pause in my attacks.

We weren't fighting. Far from it: we were sparring. He was the best sort of person for me to spar with, as he couldn't die. He wouldn't kill me, though he wasn't afraid to injure me. It was rather fun, actually.

Suddenly I saw a break in Envy's defense, and I went for it. I stabbed down with my knife.

Envy changed his form.

My knife stopped, just inches away from his neck. Envy grinned and kicked me hard in the gut, sending me flying across the room. I winced and picked myself up, staring at him. "Where did you get that face?" He had taken Kay Tzumani's form, the blue eyes and red hair startling me in a way no other form could when I sparred.

Envy laughed. "He's that human you live with, isn't he? The one who gave you that ring."

I was almost surprised to realize that I was still wearing the snake ring I had received from Kay so long ago. I didn't think about it anymore; it was just another part of what I always wore. "Yeah, so?" I asked, keeping my voice cold and careless. If there's one thing you have to do, it's to make sure that the homunculi don't really think you have any humanity in you.

Envy just laughed. "You're so oblivious, Joice."

I shrugged. "Whatever. I'll be going home now."

Envy waved me off and I headed back to the house. Kay hadn't arrived from whatever he was doing, so I made supper. I took a quick shower as well, and when I came back down to the kitchen, Kay had arrived.

Things hadn't really changed all that much between Kay and I. We were closer than I had ever been with another human, and yet somehow we were far more distant than you'd expect. We ate together and talked, and all that shit. Then I went upstairs to my room. The next day I was to leave on another mission, and I knew from experience that it was best to work on a full night's sleep—you never knew how long you'd have to stay awake once you left.

The next day came too soon, and I headed towards the door. "Joice!" Kay called. I turned and saw him standing at the top of the stairs. Damn. I usually tried to leave before he awoke—I hated having to say stupid shit like goodbye.

"Yes?" I asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"Where are you going?" He demanded.

Ishval, but I wasn't messing with the people there. I was going to annihilate a soldier from a different country. "Nowhere in particular." I said, giving him a lazy grin.

Kay sighed. "Fine, whatever. When will you get back?" He asked me.

That was almost a humorous question to me, for I never really knew when I'd be able to return. I couldn't come back before my job was done, and that was that. "I'll get back when I do." I said. I walked out before Kay had a chance to respond.

I rode on the train alone, as always. I had turned 23 a few weeks ago, though the day had passed uneventfully—I didn't want Kay to know. It shouldn't be something that was a big deal. All it meant was that I was only two years away from immortality. I was excited, I suppose.

Then I arrived. I got off the stupid train and walked around, searching for my target. Her name was Reyn, and she was a soldier from a country named Aerugo. I'd only been there once before. Reyn was a huge liability to the homunculi's plan, apparently, and so I was to take her out. Whatever.

It took less than a day to find her. I felt proud; my tracking skills were improving.

I cornered the girl in a building. Dude… this bitch was freakier than Father. She had the same emotionless aura, only more intense. Seriously, it was like she felt nothing. "Reyn Fukerita, correct?" I asked, giving her a cold grin.

"That is me." Reyn nodded, and I pulled two knives from my boots. I lunged at her.

She had this freakish green glowing sword, and she pulled it out, defending herself with precision. I guess having no emotions was kind of useful for her, because it meant she could analyze me without afflictions. Interesting. I'd never sparred with Father, and fighting someone emotionless was new to me. I found myself having a lot of fun, only it wasn't very good for me.

Reyn sliced with her sword at my neck, and I ducked. Instead of my head, she shattered through a stone pillar. Damn, that woman had skill! I winced as I avoided the rubble, my hand slipping into my pocket. Would I need my gun after all?

She lunged again and I leapt out of the way, slicing with my knife at her ankle as her bulky sword got pinned into the wall. Blood started seeping from her ankle and she ripped the sword free. Some rubble fell to the ground and she sliced at me.

This time her sword met its target, lodging itself into my shoulder. I yelped in pain, and pulled free. It had cut deep—the worst injury I'd had in quite a while. I winced. "Well now I'm going to have to kill you, you stupid bitch." I hissed through clenched teeth, and pulled my gun from my pocket. I shot at her and she blocked it with the sword. I kept shooting, and she kept blocking. The bullets pinged everywhere, lodging in walls, the ceiling, and one in my foot. Another in my other shoulder. Damn it!

Reyn charged at me. I moved out of the way. Again and again we repeated this dance, but my moves were slowing. I had to defeat her, and quick. I was losing a lot of blood—and she had only a few minor injuries.

This woman was more experienced than I was. I'd never had to face this before. I was stunned.

And then a large piece of the ceiling crashed down in front of me, in between Reyn and I, and stopped her newest attack. Oh, geez. I looked up and saw several cracks in the ceiling. We'd caused a lot of damage to the building, and now it had begun to collapse. Well, time to get out of here. "See yah, bitch!" I said, and jumped out of the window. I made a break for the train and jumped on just as it started to leave, wincing as I jarred the wound on my shoulder.

I didn't realize until then that I'd failed to see if Reyn had escaped or died.

-o-o-o-

By the time I arrived back home, I was staggering. I'd already almost passed out twice, and my entire body ached, my shoulder throbbing in violent pain. I stumbled over to get a thread and needle, and some alcohol, and then sat down on the coffee table. I pulled off my blood-soaked sweatshirt and held it by the clean sleeve, dousing that in alcohol. Then I started to clean my wound.

I won't lie. It hurt like crazy. I winced slightly, but I didn't cease in my actions. Soon I had cleaned it, and I took my needle. I sterilized it and the thread with the alcohol, and then I began to stitch up the wound.

It was a deep cut, and I was lucky I hadn't lost my arm. I sighed. "You really manage to fuck yourself up, don't you, Joice?" I muttered to myself in exasperation. "Bit off more than I could chew…"

"Joice?" Kay's voice was sudden. I snapped my head up and my vision swam, until I registered that he was standing on the stairs, his eyes wide and face red. I felt my cheeks heat up and looked back down, resuming my stitching. "Hello, Mr. Kay."

"Joice, what the hell happened to you?" He demanded.

"Nothing serious. Don't worry about it." I said stiffly. Like hell I would tell him. I only had two years left. I wasn't blowing my cover this far in.

Kay shook his head. "Nothing serious?! You're joking, right?!"

I forced out a laugh. "Go back to sleep, Kay. What are you doing up, anyways?"

He didn't answer. "Do you need help?"

"Not from you, now get away." I muttered. It was rude, but at that point I didn't give a damn. I just wanted him to go away.

I'll be honest. I was kind of embarrassed at my failure. I'd barely managed to put a scratch on that Aerugan bitch, and yet here I was almost ready to pass out from blood loss. If this was any clue, I clearly didn't know what I was doing. How could I mess up so badly? I didn't even realize that I could be this pathetic. It was shameful.

And this injury… I never knew when I'd get a new mission, and often I went with a few minor injuries that had yet to heal. What if I was sent off with this nasty cut? I doubted I could survive another fight in my state, especially if it was against her.

I must have gotten distracted by my thoughts, because I realized that I'd completely ceased my stitching. I resumed, and sighed. "I'm sorry, Mr. Tzumani, but I really can't tell you." I muttered. "Just go on with yourself, please."

Kay only sighed and walked back upstairs. "Geez…" I heard him mutter.

It kind of upset me that I had to keep so many secrets from him. Strange.


	13. Kay finds out

I woke up the next day knowing it'd be a challenge, but I had to get on with it. I go into the kitchen and start making breakfast cheerfully… I just don't care, you know? The homunculi will probably get pissed at me for messing up, but I don't care. Hopefully they'll be nice enough about it to just give me another shit job. I don't like sword fighting. I don't want to have to learn how to use one, and if I have to fight that bitch again, I will need to.

As I'm cooking, Kay Tzumani limps in. Wait a second. Why the fuck is he limping? I turn to him. "How'd you get hurt?" I ask, my voice rather cross. Don't judge me; it's early and I'm annoyed, though more so at myself than anything.

He looks over at me wearily. "Why should I tell you?" His voice is guarded and kind of blunt, and I can't help but wince, because I know what he means. I've been keeping a lot of secrets from him, but I can't help it. I can't tell him about the homunculi. They'd kill us.

"Fine." I sigh. "What's messed up with your feet?"

"Broke a few toes." He grunted. At least he was willing to give me that much information.

Broken toes were easy. I sighed. "Geez…" I muttered, and bent down. He looked at me. "What are you doing?"

"Bracing your toes so they set right, unless you'd rather they be all twisted and fucked up for the rest of your life." I muttered, grabbing gauze and chopsticks. I broke the chopsticks to a proper length and used them and the gauze to put his broken toes in braces. It was a simple trick and it'd work well enough to help restore his feet in time. If he didn't take care of that shit, he'd never be able to walk again.

I finished and then I sighed and grabbed my gun, pocketing it. "I'm headed out; see you whenever." I muttered.

Kay looked over at me. "Where are you going?" He asked for the billionth time, staring at me suspiciously. He knew what I was going to say, but he seemed compelled to ask me this question.

"Out." I walked out. I knew it'd piss him off like hell, but I couldn't say anything else. If he'd just be patient, I'd tell him when I was immortal.

It didn't take me long to get to the homunculi's lair. It had become almost ritualistic in its simplicity. Honestly, their hiding place is so absurd; it's amazing that no one's found them yet. But hey, who am I to judge.

"You're back." Envy said as I walked in. "So how'd it go? Is she dead?"

I sighed, and leant against a wall. Oh, don't pay any attention to my ruined arm, or the several bandages everywhere else on me. Nooooo, just ask me if my target's dead. Homunculi. "No. Her skill was superior to mine." I admitted.

"Typical human." Envy snorted. Tch, of course he thought that.

"There's always someone better than you, neh?" I said calmly. I wouldn't allow myself to give in to his mockery. As annoying as he was, it would only give him satisfaction to see me riled up, and give him an excuse to beat me into a bloody pulp. It would irk him more for me to remain calm.

"Failure is inexcusable, Joice." Dark shadows surrounded me.

"Yes, Mr. Pride. I know." I forced my temper down. It wasn't like I hadn't tried. Geez, I hated these guys. The sooner the next two years passed, the better.

"Enough, children." Finally, Father stepped in. He stared at me with those blank golden eyes. "Joice, you failed to eradicate Reyn. That gives us only one alternative." He sighed. "Envy, bring her back here… dead or alive." He monotoned.

Envy nodded. "As you wish, Father."

Suddenly I saw a movement in the corner of my eye; a flash of red hair. Oh, no. Oh, _fuck _no. _That asshole. _

I sighed, feigning as though nothing was wrong, even though my heart was beating a mile a minute. _What if they caught him? He's such a horrid sneak. _"So is that all, Mr. Father?" I asked coldly.

"For now. You may go." He dismissed me, thank the Lord. I headed out quickly. If I concentrated, I could hear Kay trying to sneak away. Idiot. I needed to teach him how to hide.

I followed his footsteps until we were far enough from the homunculi that we wouldn't be caught. Then I grabbed him by the arm. He jumped, startled. I don't think he realized I knew he was there. "You fucking idiot." I hissed. "Do you know what the hell you've done?"

He turned to me, his expression stony. "Joice, who were those people? What are you up to?"

"I can't tell you." I deadpanned, just as stony if not stony as him.

Kay's expression hardened. Suddenly he grabbed me by my arms and shook me. "Joice, stop feeding me bullshit. _What the hell are you doing?! _Who were those people? What were those creepy shadow things you called Pride?! Who were you talking about, what girl did they want dead? Why won't you tell me anything? Don't you trust me?!"

That last question, I'll admit, hit me hard. Trust him? Oddly enough, I did. I had been for quite a while, ever since he chose to stick around me, even though he knew I was the Shadow, a sick fuck of a murderer. I sighed. He'd already seen them, and if I didn't tell him, then I ran the risk of him approaching them instead. That was the last thing I needed.

I sighed again. "Fine, Kay. Just… let's get home. I can't tell you here." He gave an annoyed sigh, and we headed home in tense silence.

It wasn't long before we sat in the living room, facing each other. "Those people you saw… they are immortal beings called the homunculi."

"Immortal?" Kay gaped at me.

I sighed. "Yes, Mr. Kay, now please, let me finish." He nodded, closing his mouth, and I continued. "A couple years back, when all this started, it was because Mr. Envy—the one that looks like a palm tree—approached me and introduced me to Mr. Father, that old dude that's got no emotions. Creepy bastard." I looked at Kay and grinned. "I'm going to become immortal, Kay, and all I have to do is kill for them." I smiled. "Isn't it great?"

Kay gaped at me blankly. I think I broke his mind. Shit. "Um… Mr. Kay?" I asked.

"Y-you're… Are you serious?!" He looked panicky.

I gave a sigh. "Yes, Mr. Kay. Please, will you calm down?"

"Calm down? _Calm down?! _How the hell do I just calm down?! You're telling me you're going off just so that you can—what the fuck!"

Huh, I think that's the first time I ever heard Kay cuss. He was hyperventilating. Shit, I made him freak out. "Mr. Kay, please, I'm serious. It's no big deal. It's just two more years, and then it's over." I smiled. "Please?"

Kay shut his mouth. I think he calmed down, if only a little bit, but what do I know. I sighed and smiled at him slightly. "So how about we go off and do something, neh? Let's just hang out; I'm bored as hell. All I do anymore is go off on these stupid missions."

Kay sighed. "S-sure, I guess…"

So we did. I mean, there's not much to tell. We went out and he stole some shit, which was humorous to watch. He does know something, really. He's not too shabby when it comes to stealing. The cashier didn't seem to see it coming. Heh, people can be so dumb sometimes.

After that we went and got something to eat. It wasn't a date; we were just friends hanging out. That's all we ever were and ever would be, you know? That's all I wanted. Of course.

So I explained more then. I told him that I couldn't have let him know what I was up to, because the homunculi may have killed him. I think that probably made him a bit nervous, but too late. He can't back out now. I could only hope at that point that he knew enough to keep his trap shut. All I had to do was make it two more years. I was relieved, I suppose. And it was easier that he knew. Now I wouldn't have to sneak around so much, I suppose.


	14. Defeating the Lion

**1,969 words. I'm pretty sure that's a new record. **

**I FUCKING LOVE THIS. **

**I JUST... **

**YES. **

**I AM SO DAMN PROUD **

Things definitely grow easier from that point on. Now that Kay knew what I was up to, I no longer had to make some half-assed excuse as to what I was doing. It was clear that he was uncomfortable with the idea, but I suppose he knew better than to try to stop me.

While my arm was still injured, Father never sent me on a job outside of the city. Instead, I made small hits to those stirring up trouble in Central. This way, I would always be close to my home, in case my wounds reopened. That in itself was rather merciful of him, I suppose—he could have given me something much deadlier.

In between jobs, I practiced fighting against swords with Wrath—that is, Fuhrer King Bradley. I assumed I was bound to face another sword-fighter again someday, and it would be better to be prepared. Sure, I could have practiced by sparring against Kay, but something told me he wouldn't give his all against me.

And then, after long months, my wounds had finally healed up. That's whn Father told me something I had hoped not to hear—I was to go after Reyn Fukerita yet again.

I walked home furiously. Was Father crazy?! Why couldn't he just send one of the goddamned homunculi?! Against her, I still wasn't entirely sure I stood a chance. I walked inside and slammed the door into place, shaking the doorframe.

"Joice, are you okay?" Kay asked me, standing in the entrance to the kitchen. I glared at him; why did he always have to be so worried about me and what I was up to?!

"Fine, just fine, I spat and sighed, walking into the living room and flopping onto the couch tiredly. Kay followed, still bearing that adorably—I mean, _annoyingly_!—worried frown, and I sighed. "Mr. Father's making me go back to a former target." I finally admitted to him. "I don't want to go." The last sentence came out as a whine, and it hit me like a punch to the face.

I was actually scared to go. The very thought was unbelievable, and yet somehow it was true. What had changed? Why was I suddenly worried about surviving? I'd never cared before, not until… but that was impossible; no way knowing Kay could possibly make me scared to die.

"Will you be okay?" Kay asked me, his worried tone breaking through my hectic thoughts.

I ran a hand through my curly hair, fingers pulling at tangles as I sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine…" I muttered. "It's no big deal." And it wouldn't be, for I wouldn't allow it to.

Kay nodded and stood. "Good, then. Let's go eat." He headed into the kitchen, and after a moment I followed.

Dinner was a quiet affair, as Kay and I were both lost in our own thoughts. Tomorrow morning I would be heading out to Ishval for the first time in months, to face a bitch I still didn't know for sure was too stubborn to die or not. And what if I weren't to return? What would become of Kay? I wondered vaguely as I finished my food. I looked up at him, watching him eat in silence.

Then I realized what I was doing, and quickly looked away. How dare I worry about this idiot! What was wrong with me?! It wasn't like he mattered?! Why would I ever care? Surely I couldn't actually like this guy. I stood suddenly; I had to get out of there before my thoughts became too much to bear. "I'm going for a walk." I mumbled as I headed towards the door.

"Okay, see you." I heard Kay mumble, but by then I was already gone.

I'm not sure how long I walked, but by the time I returned, Kay had gone to sleep. I took a quick shower and did the same. Tomorrow should be interesting, to say the least…

* * *

There she was, surrounded by comrades. There were three of them, and one I had seen before. Like me, he worked for the homunculi. He knew I was to come today, so I wasn't surprised when he led the others away from Reyn. Once they were gone, I approached the bitch. "They tell me you need to die." I called to her, and she turned on her heel to face me, expression wary. "I'll never ask why, but they truly do seem to hate you."

She stared at me emotionlessly. "Are you referring to the homunculi?" She asked, or more like droned.

Huh. So she'd learned about them? "Indeed." I smirked, pulling out a knife. "Let's see who wins this time." I charged at her, as she pulled a green shield from where it lay slung across her back, and it morphed into a sword, like the one she'd used the last time I fought her.

I didn't allow myself to respond to the odd change in weapon, taking it in stride instead and slashing at her violently. This time I found it easier to locate the openings in her guard, and then breaking into them was actually possible. It wasn't long before our deadly dance had cost us both multiple injuries. This was getting interesting, to be sure.

Then she slashed at me, her sword held low and parallel to the ground. I didn't move away in time, and her blade cut into my side painfully. I stumbled backwards, blood dripping from my newly acquired wound. I'd have to end this fight a lot quicker, or risk death. No way in hell was I going to die. Not today. I pulled out my gun and shot at her.

A bullet went through her shoulder, and her expression hardened with determination. I continued to shoot, trying to kill her as she used her sword to deflect the bullets and ran at me. She hit my wrist with the flat side of the blade, knocking my gun out of my hand. I dove for it, but too late—a flash of metal, and she'd run her blade through the trigger of the gun, destroying it and rendering the gun useless.

She broke my gun. Time seemed to freeze for a second as I stared at it. This gun, I likked my father with. This gun was my only means of survival for years, the finest weapon… the only thing that mattered.

I turned to look at Reyn Fukerita and saw red in the corners of my vision. "You bitch…" I hissed, pulling two knives from my boots. All I could hear was the blood roaring in my ears as she held her sword in a defensive stance. I charged at her furiously.

Dodge, stab, dodge, slash, cut, pin. Everything happened quickly; now I acted on pure instinct and speed, disregarding all skill or logic. My sudden change had confused my target, making it far too easy to pin her to the ground, kicking her weapon away. She continued to struggle, so I stabbed a knife through her left hand and then her right. "YOU THINK IT'S OK TO FUCK UP MY STUFF?!" I screamed furiously as I drove a third knife into her side. Finally I managed to get a pained grimace from her, but she didn't answer.

"RESPOND!" I demanded, driving my fist into her wound.

The little bitch grimaced and spat out between clenched teeth, "I did what I had to do."

"What you had to do, huh?" I smirked coldly at her, my blood boiling. "Well then, I _had _to do this." I stabbed her thigh and fripped the knife down, only pulling it out when I reached her knee. Her screams filled the air at long last, and I smirked. "Die slowly for me." I told her icily, getting up and grabbing my broken gun. I left her there, still pinned to the ground, positive that I'd won.

Now to home.

* * *

By the time I reached the train station, I had calmed down, and was intensely aware of the pain my injury was causing me. I had lost a lot of blood; to jump on the train as I normally would, would be impossible this time. So I walked on, following an elderly couple.

The conductor tried to stop me. "Ma'am, are you alright?! Let me get you to the hosp—"

I silenced him by pointing my blade at his stomach, barely pricking his skin. "No hospitals." I growled. The man had turned white, and I was grateful for the fact that my body hid my knife from view of the others around the station. "You are to take this train to Central immediately. Make any stops, and I'll kill everyone. Alert the military, and I'll kill everyone. Try to attack me, and I'll kill everyone. Obey me, and I'll walk away. Got that?"

The man nodded, seeming almost as though he was afraid to speak. I nodded and walked the rest of the way onboard, barely able to move. Every step hurt—I hoped I'd reach Central before I passed out.

I could feel the passengers' eyes on me even as I stared directly forward, and I don't blame them for their shock. I must have looked frightening, blood dripping off me and staining my clothes, and my ruined gun held loosely in one hand. I sighed, knowing perfectly well that if I didn't do something I would be stopped. I grabbed a child, pulling her towards me. She gave a squeal of fear and her parents moved to help her, but everyone grew still when I put a knife to her throat. "The tiniest movement and I kill her." I growled. I then brought the girl to the front and sat, facing the passengers.

Nobody moved, but everybody stared. The little girl was sobbing, crying uncontrollably for her mother. Had I not needed her and everyone else to be afraid, I would have reassured her—I had no intentions of actually killing her. All I wanted was for everyone to remain seated and quiet, and for no one to ty to overpower me, which could have easily have been done, in my state.

So I sat there for the entire train ride, clutching my wound in an attempt to slow the bleeding with one hand, and using the other to keep the girl in a headlock, my knife at her throat. It wasn't like me to accost entire crowds at once, and I hated it—one-on-one fights were far better. Unnecessary fear made me sick. I hated having to do this.

At long last, however, we did reach Central. I released the girl, and she ran crying to her parents. "Thank you for your cooperation." I growled, and walked away. I was lucky that no one had a gun on them, or I'm sure someone would have tried to shoot me.

The walk home from there was grueling. I had grown dizzy from loss of blood, and it was a challenge to even remain conscious at that point. I would die if I didn't get help soon; it was so obvious, and made me panicky, though I remained outwardly perfectly calm. I had just reached the front door when Kay opened it, his eyes widening. His face grew pale, making his red hair almost garish in comparison. "Joice…" He mumbled, and he might have said something else, but I was totally unaware as I wordlessly collapsed into his arms, my vision growing dark.


	15. Hospital and Kiss

**YOU KNOW YOU FUCKING LOVE THIS DON'T EVEN LIE. **

**So anyways... **

**Yeah. **

**Joice and Kay. **

**I love them. **

**And yes, this is Joice's reaction to hospitals. Fun, neh? XD**

If you've ever been in a hospital, then you know that they don't smell very appealing, for lack of better words. They're kept sterile, and the cleaning supplies leave behind a strong chemical smell, which quite simply I utterly detested. So when I started to wake up to that smell, I'm sure you can understand my utter confusion. I opened my eyes and when I saw where I was, I snapped into an upright position rather quickly, which was a bad idea, as I pulled on my stomach wound, and that hurt like hell.

Shit. I was in a hospital. Fucking shit, if Kay brought me here I was going to fucking _kill _him. I loathed hospitals and everything about them. Surely he wasn't dumb enough to bring me to this hell-hole?! I winced slightly as I took in my surroundings with wide eyes, trying not to panic. There was a blood-drip in my arm and I was wearing a hospital gown—_fuck_, I hated those things—and I was the only one in the room. I let myself feel a small surge of hope; maybe I could get out of here without running into any of the damned doctors. There was a counter just a few feet away from the hospital bed I lay in, and at the end was a jar of cotton balls. I stretched and grabbed one before pulling my blood drip out of my arm and placing the cotton ball over the area where the needle was. I was just starting to get up when Kay walked in. He looked at me and just sighed, like he knew this was going to happen or something. "No." He deadpanned. "You're too hurt to leave."

I glared at him icily, and I swear he flinched, so I guess I freaked him out. "I don't give a damn, Kay. I'm not staying in a god-damned _hospital_." I spat.

Kay sighed and shook his head, walking up to me calmly. "If you don't, you might die or something. I'm not going to let that happen." He told me in that stubborn voice of his.

"Why do you even care?!" I spat furiously. "It's none of your business what I do!" Why was he trying to keep me here?! Didn't he know how awful hospitals were?!

Kay gave a resigned sigh. "Joice…" Suddenly he leaned forward, turning red as his lips met mine. Oh. Oh fuck. What the fuck? Kay was _kissing _me! W-why the fuck wasn't I pulling away?! My cheeks flushed vibrantly and Kay pulled away. "Please stay here, at least until you get better?" He asked again.

"Okay." It came out as a squeak, and inwardly I cursed myself for giving in. What the hell was going on?! I woke up in a fucking _hospital _of all places, got kissed by a completely and total _idiot_, and now I was staying here _willingly_? Fuck, nothing made sense anymore.

Kay Tzumani grinned at me. "Thanks, Joice." He said cheerfully.

"Wh-whatever." I grumbled and crossed my arms, trying to act like I didn't really care. Kay simply laughed, however, so I suppose I didn't manage to fool him. Of course not. The dumb bastard fucking _knew _me. He wasn't like everyone else.

At any rate, Kay sat down and awkwardly asked, "So do you want to tell me how you managed to get so banged up?"

"Tell me why you kissed me first." I countered, and Kay just shrugged.

"I like you… I thought that was kind of obvious." He laughed. "Your turn."

I really should have kept my mouth shut, because his stupid comment managed to get me fumbling for whatever reason, though it really shouldn't have. I mean, I'm a fucking assassin; why do I still care? "W-well, obviously I got it in my fight. The bitch used a sword, and I wasn't fast enough. She had skill, but I still beat her." I mumbled.

"You beat her?" Kay's surprised tone caused me to turn to him. He was staring rather doubtfully at me, causing my cheeks to heat up for a different reason.

"What, so just because I got hurt means I had to have lost? Idiot." I rolled my eyes. "She sustained much worse injuries than I, so I won. Even if she wasn't killed, she won't be bothering us any time soon."

Kay just nodded, digesting that information. "Well then, good job. I guess."

And then a doctor walked in.

Fuck fuck fuck. I visibly flinched and kind of backed away from the man—which was fucking _instinct_, thank you; I couldn't help it—as he walked forward. "Hello, Miss Fairfax. Are you feeling alright? Do you feel any dizziness or nausea?"

"No I don't!" My voice was a high-pitched squeak—this day couldn't get any _worse_—and I cleared my throat before continuing. "N-no, I'm fine."

That bastard nodded, writing something down on a clipboard. "You're lucky your boyfriend got you here when you did, or who knows what would have happened." He told me, which was dumb, because it's obvious what would have happened. I would have bled out and died, unless Kay was smart enough to bandage me, at which point I would have been fi—wait a second, boyfriend?! I turned red and was about to object when the doctor continued, "Luckily you didn't break any vitals, so it was easy to stitch you up. I noticed quite a few other scars… I assume this isn't the first fight you've gotten into?" No shit, Sherlock. I rolled my eyes, but couldn't quite get myself to respond—I was still freaking out about the fact that he thought Kay was my boyfriend.

Then the doctor went to the counter and picked up a thin syringe filled with some sort of liquid. Immediately I tensed up. Oh, fuck no. No fucking way was I getting a shot. "This is a pain killer." He told me calmly. "This way, your injury shouldn't hurt you too badly. Once the dose you're on now wears off, you'll be in a lot of pain, and as it should be wearing off, I think it'd be best to administer this now." He walked towards me.

I'm pretty sure my face went white as a sheet, and I moved as far from him as I possibly could. I was hardly aware of Kay's hand on my arm, trying to calm me, as I spat at the doctor. "Keep that thing away from me." I hissed shrilly, on the verge of panic.

"Miss, please calm down. You're going to strain your injury." The man sighed calmly. "I promise you'll barely feel this; it's just a shot." Well he could go screw himself, because there was no way I'd do what he wanted. I wasn't letting him inject a _drug _into my system, no matter what it was meant to do.

"Joice…" Kay sighed, and I sent him a death glare.

"Don't you start on my too!" I snapped angrily. "I told him, Kay, I'm not fucking doing it!"

Kay just sighed and shook his head. "Please? All it does is keep you from hurting. It's no big deal."

No big deal?! How stupid _was _this kid?! He couldn't tell whether this doctor was being honest or not! That could be a killer drug, or an overdose! He expected me to just _trust _the word of a complete stranger?! No fucking way.

"Not happening, and I hate you." I deadpanned, struggling to keep my voice calm.

"You hate me? Then why'd you let me kiss you?" He smirked.

My cheeks burned and I gaped at him. "Y-you took me by surprise!" I objected furiously.

Kay just laughed. "Whatever." He kissed my cheek, and I felt the blood rushing to my face.

"F-fine, whatever. I'll take the damn shot, just… stop that." I muttered, looking away furiously. Damn it, why did I keep giving in to him?

So the bastard doctor gave me the bastard shot, and I simply tried to figure out what this meant; what had changed in the strange friendship or whatever it was that Kay and I had formed, that had led to his suddenly kissing me and my not bitch-slapping him when he did.

Surely this didn't have anything to do with that stupid ring on my stupid finger?

* * *

A while had passed and Kay and I were left well alone. Kay told me that he was renovating the house, and it was a shame I couldn't see it yet, to which I promptly responded that I _could _see it immediately if he'd just get me _the hell out of here_, but unfortunately, he refused to be swayed. Bastard.

And then he just randomly said out of nowhere, "You know, I never imagined that _you _of all people would be afraid of hospitals, Joice."

I nearly choked on air, turning to look at him in shock. "Excuse me?"

Kay laughed. "It's kind of obvious at this point, Joice… stop trying to lie. C'mon, you know you can't fool me."

I groaned and flopped back into the dumb hospital bed. "Then why are you making me stay here?"

"Because I don't want you to get hurt." He said simply, giving a shrug.

"That's not a good reason." My voice was a deadpan.

Kay sighed. "Well, it's the one I've got, so chill, okay?" He whined.

_Whatever. _I'd stay in the hospital like he wanted, but nothing was going to stop me from being a sulky bitch about it. I didn't give a fuck what he did.


	16. Aerugan Weaponry

I was awake when they brought my new "roommate" or whatever you'd call it in a fucking _hospital _in. I kept my eyes closed, however—it was often easier or better to pretend to be asleep. The doctor's voice and another voice that sounded vaguely familiar filled the air as they talked quietly about sedation of all things, and then the stranger walked out. I listened as the doctor walked across the room—I can only assume to the bitch laying in the second bed. A moment, and then a curtain was pulled, screeching in that annoying manner that only curtains had. I lay there listening, as the doctor's footsteps finally faded away.

I opened my eyes and slid out of bed with a grin, ignoring the slight twinge of pain in my side. I'd been here for only a few short days, but already it felt like years. Kay visited often enough, sure, but that didn't exactly help me calm down. I sighed and looked at the changes in my room. The curtain that had been pulled divided my bed and a space on the other side of the room, where the stranger surely was, so I walked past said curtain to see the brown-haired girl on the other side.

Immediately I burst into hysterical laughter, which _hurt_, mind you, but it was worth it. The girl lying here knocked up on sedatives was none other than my target. So she'd lived, neh? She'd been all stitched up; the stitches were still fresh and unhealed. Had I any malevolence towards her, I would have easily have ripped them out, but my only reason for attacking her was the promise of immortality. Sure, I got pissed in the last fight, but it didn't matter anymore. I'd gotten my revenge; she wouldn't be moving for quite a while now, and when she did, she was going to have a hell of a limp, at least for the first few months.

It was then that I noticed her weapon propped up standing in a corner, still a sword. I remembered how it had transformed from shield to sword when we had fought, and a curiosity sparked in me. I picked it up, held it, testing its weight in my hands. I swear it vibrated slightly in my grip, with an odd heat coming from it, almost as if it were alive. How odd.

Now I could hear someone approaching my room, so I quickly moved back to my bed, hiding the sword in the crack between my mattress and bedpost. I lay down, acting as though I'd been perfectly docile, just as Kay walked in.

Well, naturally the first thing he saw was my target. "…Who's this?" He asked, glancing form her to me. I suppose my grin must have been a little too broad, for he simply sighed and shook his head. "Alright, what did you do to her?"

"That's my target, Kay. Her name's Reyn Fukerita or whatever." I stifled a laugh. "Isn't it funny? They must have made some sort of mistake; putting her in the same room as me."

Kay stared at her. "This is the girl who almost killed you?" I couldn't quite tell if his tone was curious, angry, or whatever else, so I simply nodded. He sighed and shook his head, walking over to me. "So you went all the way to Ishval and nearly died fighting someone as small as her? I guess I expected someone scarier."

I just laughed. "Looks can be decieving. For example, you seem bright before you speak." I teased. He turned red, but just smirked.

And you seem scary until you're in a hospital." He shot back. I blinked, surprised; honestly I hadn't expected him to come up with a rebuttal. I had no good comeback to that; it's funny how well the truth could work.

With that, Kay sat next to me cheerfully and we started to talk, filling the room with meaningless chatter.

I realize that it must have been a few hours, but it seemed like only minutes later when Reyn Fukerita stirred. Immediately I grinned broadly. "The bitch is up!" I said cheerfully. I don't know, there was something almost relaxing about not being the weakest person in the room.

She looked at me and then looked around, and I'll be damned if she didn't seem panicked. She looked around the room again with wide eyes and made to get up, pulling on some of her wounds or something and crashing back into a lying position. She kind of thrashed around, attempting to get up, and I watched on, slightly bemused by the normally emotionless girl's strange reaction.

"W-woah, are you ok?" Kay walked over to her, gentle as always as he placed a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to still her. "You're going to hurt yourself if you're not careful."

My target looked at Kay with those wide eyes. "Where is it?" She asked, and suddenly I knew the cause to her distress. I leant back, my hand closing around the hilt of her strange sword.

"Where is what?" Kay asked, obviously confused.

Before Reyn could respond, I pulled her sword from where I'd hidden it earlier, holding it carefully in my lap. "I believe she means this, Kay." I couldn't resist a grin when they both turned to look at me.

"Give it to me." Reyn demanded, as if there was a chance I'd listen to her.

"No." I pouted. "This is a very curious weapon. Would you mind explaining it to me?"

"It is not yours to wield, now return it to me." She said in that same dull monotone that she always used.

I rolled my eyes. "Aerugan, you are in Amestris, and any allies you may have are distanced from you. Now, I suggest you answer my question. When I last fought you, this was a shield, until it suddenly transformed into a sword. How does that work?" I asked curiously. As much as this girl creeped me out, with her unresponsive reactions, nothing could still my curiosity, something that was sure to get me killed eventually if I wasn't careful.

I suppose the girl must have decided to do as I wanted—yay, obedience—and she droned, "It responds to my thoughts and takes upon the form of whatever weapon I need."

I tilted my head. "Oh? What an odd device. Surely that must be impossible."

"Perhaps for Amestrians, but due to technology advances in Aerugo, it has been created." She droned. I was surprised at the oddly proud remark. I hadn't thought she'd call us out as weaker than her people; it didn't seem something someone so emotionless would be capable of. "Now give it back, snake."

Again I had to suppress a feeling of surprise; why was she calling me a snake, hmm? I said nothing about it, however, choosing instead to give her one of my usual cold grins. "Nah, I don't think I will."

Immediately she started to struggle again, and Kay sighed. "Joice, just give it back to her. It's not like she can hurt you in her state."

I blinked and pouted. "What? But that wouldn't be any fun."

"Joice…" Kay glared at me sternly, almost like a parent. I suppose it was only fair, seeing as I was acting a bit like a child, but I'd never actually admit to that.

Instead, I sighed in disappointment. _"Fine." _I whined and got up, handing the sword back to the Aerugan bitch. Immediately she relaxed, and it took the form of a shield again. What an odd woman she was, I found myself thinking vaguely. Kay nodded in approval and I rolled my eyes at him, sitting back down with a frown.

I may have argued more, if it weren't for the fault that I couldn't really blame my target for freaking out. When I'd gotten over the initial shock of waking up in a hospital, and realized my gun wasn't on me, I'd nearly lost it. Kay was lucky he'd been there to tell me he'd given it to a blacksmith to be fixed, or who knows what I may have done. I didn't really like the idea of a stranger messing with my gun, but there wasn't anything I could do about it, so I lived with the fact. Still, I guess it was rather nice sseing someone _else _freak out instead of me. It was kind of relaxing in its own strange way.

It's not like it was a big deal that we were both there. We weren't at each other's throats or anything. Far from it, I believe it was impossible to irritate her, and I simply couldn't bring myself to care enough. I wonder what the person who had us roomed together had initially expected.


	17. Hospital Release

**Ok this fucking sucks. **

**just a warning. **

If anyone had expected Reyn Fukerita and I to get into a fight in the hospital or anything, they truly were blind. Neither of us had the strength necessary to fight one another, let alone the motivation. We simply were there, and she was so silent that life quickly grew boring. I was again left to amuse myself, and speaking to Kay felt rather awkward with her watching on. It wasn't like we were saying anything wrong or private; I simply found it strange to have another person there who did not participate in the conversation, but only listened on in silence.

"Miss Fukerita?" I asked. We had been sharing the hospital room for a few weeks now, and in a fit of boredom, on the day of my release, I decided randomly to bother her. I had found that despite this girl's generally emotionless front, there was an undertone of vague emotion concealed just beneath, and it made me curious. I wanted to see just how much emotion she really did bottle up.

"Yes?" She droned, as I'd expected her to.

I took it in stride, continuing without hesitation. "Tell me about Aerugo." I demanded. Another interesting thing I'd learned about the girl was that if you were to give a direct command, she would obey, even if it were something she may not be entirely comfortable with. It was very interesting, and if I'd discovered this odd trait while we were still fighting, I most definitely would not be hospitalized at the moment.

Reyn gave a faint sigh, and I wondered what was running through her head as she spoke. "The climate is very hot and dusty. There are volcanoes, mostly located in the southern regions, where I was born, and it's very desert-like. In the rural areas, the people are few and far between, though the cities tend to be large and very busy."

Tch, I despised the heat; cold was much more preferable… at least in my opinion. "Aerugo sounds like a god-awful place." I said honestly.

I swear Reyn stiffened a little. "It's not that bad." She droned.

I smirked at the reaction, slight as it may have been. It was enough to keep me going. "Are you sure? I mean, looking at the facts, it sounds like hell on earth; a wasteland of sorts that people are too stubborn to leave."

Her expression tightened. "Aerugo is a prosperous land, much better than this dump called Amestris." She drones, her voice bordering on defensive. Curious.

"Really? Because your people seem rather weak, if you ask me. I mean, if you're the best Aerugo has to offer, your men truly are screwed… I'm hardly the best fighter in Amestris, after all." I laughed coldly. "You're weak, Miss Fukerita, and I can only assume your people are we-"

"Shut up." She interrupted, her expression somehow hardened. "Aerugo's people are strong and fierce, so shut up, you Amestrian snake. You know nothing of strength."

I was surprised, to be honest, that such angry words could escape this girl's mouth. She acted so cold and calm all the time, so it always seemed as though she just didn't care. This was what I'd wanted to see. She could get angry, even bordering on violent. I was pleased; I had done my job well. I smirked at her and went back to doing nothing, wishing I had at least my gun to polish; at least it could keep my hands busy. I sighed in exasperation. Thank god I was getting out today.

* * *

And then, at long last, I was released, leaving Reyn Fukerita behind. I hadn't healed completely, but the injury was healed enough for the hospital to be willing to let me walk away. Kay had showed up a few hours previous to the moment they let me out, and we walked to his car. He drove us home and I kind of stared out the window. "Is my gun almost fixed?" I asked, and he sighed. "Yeah, it should be fine soon." He nodded.

It turns out when Kay said he was renovating our house, he was serious. He'd repainted it, and added a new door, along with a few other minor changes. It looked nice, actually, which surprised me; I never thought he'd be very good at anything that involved much craftsmanship. "Nice." I commented, and he grinned.

"Thanks. Welcome back, I guess." He kissed my cheek and I turned bright red. I may have hit him or started yelling at him, but before I could react he laughed and got out of the car, heading inside.

"Kay, you gotta stop doing that." I whined as I followed him.

He just laughed. "Why should I?" He said cheerfully.

I sighed. "Just… stop." I whined.

I think we both knew he wouldn't, and in all honesty, that wasn't too big of a problem. I mean—it's not like I liked it or anything! He was annoying! I just found it… tolerable. Yeah, tolerable. That's it. Nothing more or less. I mean. Aw, shit, who am I kidding? I actually liked this asshole. Whatever. It's not like it mattered, right? Who cared if I had someone I actually by some miracle enjoyed the company of? I sighed in exasperation as I realized my thoughts were beginning to ramble, and tried to think of something else.

"So what's happened since I've been in the hospital?" I asked Kay.

Kay shrugged. "Not much, really. It's kind of boring without you." He sighed. "But it's peaceful too." He added, which caused me to smirk.

"What, so you expect me to keep things calm?" I laughed. "Chaos is way too fun for that."

He just laughed. "I thought you'd say something like that." He grinned at me.

Things were so cheerful then, so nice and happy. I was only a week away from turning 24 at that point… just over a year from becoming immortal. I didn't know then, that I was running out of time. I thought we'd be like this forever, and everything would be perfect. If only I'd known better… I was so blind.


End file.
